The Princess
by Ms.Mitty
Summary: In Wakanda, everybody knows the story of how the panther goddess Bast helped a warrior shaman unite the five tribes and become king. Centuries later, Bast appears again, this time to help Princess Shuri unite the whole world against Thanos, through a team of remarkable women. That will be the story of A-Force. (Part 2 of the Secret Sisterhood Trilogy/can be read as a standalone)
1. Chapter 1

**"Oh, yes," M'Baku smirked. "I heard the stories. The child who scoffs at tradition turns out to be Bast's chosen one… The gods do love irony, don't they?"**

 **...**

 **In Wakanda, everybody knows the story of how the panther goddess Bast helped a warrior shaman unite the five tribes and become king. Centuries later, Bast appears again, this time to help Princess Shuri unite the whole world against Thanos the Mad Titan, through a team of remarkable women. That will be the story of A-Force.**

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 **A/N: Hello again! This is my second story in the _Secret Sisterhood_ Trilogy. For those who don't know, Shuri here is a bit older than she is in the canon. She was born in 1994, and T'Challa in 1984. It will not be _Black Panther_ compliant, because Ultron is never created in this trilogy, and therefore Civil War never happens. But Erik Killmonger will still make an appearance, with his canon backstory. I will use other scenes from the movie as well, but not necessarily in a chronological order. There are also some references to _Agents of SHIELD_ , but it's fine if you don't watch the show.**

 **Because the first story in the trilogy was an OC-centric one, and some people simply don't want to read that sort of fics, I tried to make sure this one can be read as a standalone for those who want a fanfiction about Wakanda. The same OCs will still appear, but here they are only side characters. Still, I really hope you'll give _The Heiress_ a chance as well, even if you don't like OC stories. Although it's mostly told from the OC's POV, it's a plot-driven story, and I'm quite proud of it. Anyway, that's all. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.

—Maya Angelou

Everyone in Wakanda was bilingual. They spoke Xhosa, because it was the language of their ancestors. And they spoke English, because it was essential to follow what was going on around the rest of the world. Still, very few Wakandans could learn how to read and write both in Xhosa and English at the age of three. That was how King T'Chaka and Queen Ramonda had discovered that their daughter was a genius. At least that was what Shuri had been told.

After that, the lessons had started. Not that she complained. Although she was only six, it was usually her tutors who struggled to keep up with Shuri, not the other way around. Besides, she could see her brother's lessons were much more exhausting. Shuri didn't envy him. He was preparing to become the next King of Wakanda and Black Panther some day. While Shuri was free to be whoever she wanted, T'Challa was learning how to be a leader, a politician, and a warrior. He had very little time to play. But when he did, he would make sure he would spend that time with his little sister.

They had built this treehouse together, for example. It was located in the forest, and sometimes T'Challa would try to scare her, saying there were lions, tigers, and other predators lurking around, and there might even be Jabari warriors who wanted to kidnap them. But Shuri knew there were no wild animals here. They were still too close to the civilization to be in that sort of danger. As for the Jabari, they would never leave their mountains.

Her brother had fallen asleep. There were no clouds in the sky tonight, so she was trying to find the constellations she had learned earlier today. But suddenly, Shuri spotted something far more interesting than the stars. In the distance, there was a huge beast staring at her, a black panther with glowing purple eyes.

Shuri gasped. Like every Wakandan, she knew the stories. This was the panther goddess in the legends!

"Brother, wake up!" She shook him awake.

T'Challa shot up immediately. "Shuri? What is going on?"

"Bast! Bast is here!"

"Bast? L—like the goddess?"

"Yes! Come, see for yourself!"

He scrambled to his feet and looked out the small window. Thankfully, Bast was still there, looking at them.

T'Challa sighed. "Is this another prank?"

Alright, she loved pulling pranks on him, but how could she possibly pull a prank like _this_? "What? Are you blind, brother?"

"Shuri, there is nothing over there! It is just the mountains. Come on, let's go back to sleep." He yawned lazily, curled up on the bedroll, and closed his eyes. Shuri did the same, only she had no intention of actually falling asleep.

So, he couldn't see her… The panther goddess had chosen to appear only to Shuri.

Once she was confident that he was fast asleep, Shuri stood up and looked out again. Yes, Bast was still there, waiting. Waiting for her, no doubt. Carefully, she climbed down from the treehouse, and began to run as fast as she could. She was afraid that Bast would get tired of waiting, and disappear.

The forest was starting to get thicker, but she didn't care. Bast would protect her.

What did she want from her, though? According to the legends, when Bast had appeared to the warrior shaman, Bashenga, and guided him to the Heart-Shaped Herb, the five tribes were at war. Bashenga had then united the tribes, become the first king and Black Panther. As far as Shuri knew, Bast had never appeared to anyone again after that. She didn't have to. Wakanda had been thriving since King Bashenga's reign. They were the most technologically advanced nation ever. Her father always said as long as they kept this secret from the rest of the world, they would be safe.

Deep down, Shuri believed this was wrong, though even she wasn't sure why. Her parents always said no matter how smart she was, she was too young to understand how the world really worked. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her, and she began running even faster. Maybe this was why Bast was here. To help her understand how the world really worked.

Shuri came face to face with the sacred beast in a small clearing. She stopped abruptly, and went down to one knee to revere the goddess of her people. In response, she regarded the princess with a nod, then turned around and darted off. She was even bigger than Shuri had thought, slightly larger than a Royal Talon Flyer, but her intangible form allowed her to roam the dense forest freely. Shuri went after her.

Bast was patient. Despite her small legs, Shuri wasn't having any trouble keeping up with her. At some point, she realized she would no longer be able to find her way back to the treehouse, but it didn't frighten her. She just kept running.

The panther goddess led her into a cave. Unlike King Bashenga, Shuri didn't find anything inside the cave, though. There was just darkness… and stars. Thousands of them. All of a sudden, Shuri realized this was a view from a spaceship. A dark, grim, scary spaceship, but it was definitely a spaceship!

And she wasn't alone. When she turned around, she found three women behind her. They were talking among themselves. None of them seemed to be aware of Shuri's presence. It was as if she was invisible to them. Two of them were white. Shuri had only seen white people in the old American movies her father watched. And now, two white women were standing before her. One was blonde, and had beautiful blue eyes. She was whispering something in a language Shuri didn't understand. The other's skin was equally pale, but she had dark brown eyes and hair. She was tinkering with a strange contraption that stood in the middle of the room.

"We're running out of time!" the only black woman in the room cried. Interesting. Her accent was Wakandan.

"Come on, Sigyn," the dark-haired white woman urged the blonde one. She sounded like an American.

"It's almost done," Sigyn said, and in a flash of green light, the American turned into her teenage self. What kind of technology that was?

There was a pounding on the door. They all gasped in fear.

"I'll buy you some time," the Wakandan offered.

"Shuri, don't…"

Only then, little Shuri realized this was her future self. Like the American—at least before Sigyn's magic had changed her—she looked like she was in her thirties, while Sigyn seemed a bit younger than both.

"There's no other way. Besides, we're all going to sacrifice ourselves. This is what we signed up for. If you don't go back in time now, all this will be for nothing."

"Still, my death is going to be much quicker, compared to yours. It's not fair."

"I died when Thanos killed my brother anyway. I have nothing to fear."

Shuri's heart jumped in her chest. T'Challa… Was T'Challa dead?

"And I died when he made me kill Loki," Sigyn added.

"Good luck, my friend." Shuri hugged the American.

The real Shuri burst into sobs. She was no longer paying attention to what was happening around her. "Please," she begged Bast, but she was nowhere to be seen now. "Please, get me out of here! I am scared! _Baba_? T'Challa? Where are you? Help me!"

No one answered her prayers.

…

When Shuri woke up, she was crying in T'Challa's arms. "Brother! You are safe!"

He frowned in confusion. "Why would I not be safe?"

"How did you find me?"

"You were sleeping right _here_ , Shuri."

She sat up and looked around. The day had broken, probably only a few minutes ago. They were under the treehouse. Bast must have taken her back to her brother. She studied his face for a moment, trying to decide whether she should tell him the truth or not.

There had to be no lies in the family. This was one of the first lessons their father had taught them. _"Lies weaken the family,"_ he would say. Besides, if her own brother didn't believe her, who else would?

"It wasn't a prank," she blurted out.

"What?"

"It wasn't a prank. I saw Bast last night. After you fell asleep, I went after her." She then proceeded to tell him about the cave, and the vision she had seen. But T'Challa only laughed when she was finished.

"I don't know why you decided to sleep on the forest ground, but you just had a nightmare, little sister. You were crying in your sleep, and saying those names. Sigyn, Loki, Thanos…"

"No! I am telling you, it was real!" She was starting to get angry now. She had thought T'Challa would believe her.

Her frustration seemed to entertain T'Challa. He grinned. "Then how did you find your way back to the treehouse?"

She shrugged. Indeed, she had no explanation for that.

He got on his feet, and took Shuri's hand. "Let's go home, little sister. Don't worry, I won't let anyone hurt you."

…

Her parents' reaction was the same as T'Challa's when Shuri repeated the story to them. They told her it was just a nightmare. But later that day, her father came to see Shuri in her room. He seemed thoughtful. There was a thick, worn book in his hand. He put this book on the desk, then pulled a chair to sit, and made Shuri sit on his lap.

"You have always been such a curious child, my dear."

"Is it a bad thing?" He had made it sound like it was.

"Sometimes. I knew you were fascinated by Western culture, but since when you have been interested in Norse mythology, Shuri?"

"Norse mythology?" She vaguely recalled the Vikings, people lived in the North of Europe. A cold, harsh land… Things she had learned in her history and geography lessons. She would love to see the aurora one day. The colorful lights caused by the Earth's magnetic field leading the charged particles from the Sun to the North and South Poles, and the atmosphere lighting them up. But other than that, she had never been particularly interested in that part of the world. What was her father talking about?

His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

"Never."

"Of course. Forgive me." He smiled, and stroked her hair. "Perhaps you don't even remember reading about it, considering how much you read…"

" _Baba_ , I don't understand…"

He took the book, and opened a page he must have marked earlier. "'Sigyn' is not an uncommon name in Nordic countries. But originally, it is the name of a Norse goddess. And in those stories, she is also the wife of a Norse god, Loki."

She gasped. This was proof. Proof that what she had seen last night wasn't a nightmare. "What about… Thanos? Is he in this book as well?"

"No. There is no mention of a Thanos in Norse mythology. But, well… You have a vast imagination."

"You don't believe me…"

He thought for a moment before speaking. "You are my daughter, Shuri. I want to protect you. Like I said, curiosity can be a dangerous thing. When it turns into obsession. Forget about your nightmare, forget about that cave, forget about the treehouse."

"But the treehouse—"

"It is gone now." His voice was soft, but firm.

Tears brimmed in her eyes. "What?"

"My dear child, T'Challa is too old to play with you, don't you see it? He is sixteen now, almost a grown man."

"But he likes playing with me!"

"He loves you so much that he cannot refuse you when you ask him."

Slowly, he stood up, and crossed to the window, probably to watch the sunset. The sunsets in Wakanda were beautiful, and Shuri's room had a lovely view. "You and T'Challa both have a great destiny ahead of you. I know it," he said at last, stroked Shuri's cheek, and left.

With the back of her hand, Shuri wiped the tears away, and looked at her desk. Her father had left the book here. She sat at her desk for a while, thinking about the vision Bast had shown her.

She wasn't a shaman. She couldn't speak with spirits, or interpret visions. She was a scientist. Or, she would be, one day. But then, Bast could have chosen to appear to Zuri, or one of the other shamans and their children, right? She had appeared to Shuri instead. Maybe this time, what she needed wasn't a warrior shaman, but a scientist princess.


	2. Chapter 2

T'Challa would call himself many things. "Spiritual" wasn't one of them. As a prince of Wakanda, he respected his people's culture, but he wouldn't shape his life according to stories that may, or may not be true. Of course, there had to be some truth to them. After all, he had seen his father's Panther Habit. He had seen the powers the Heart-Shaped Herb had granted him.

Still, he didn't share all of his father's beliefs. King T'Chaka would often say death wasn't an end, for example, but every time he said that, T'Challa thought of his Uncle N'Jobu. T'Challa barely remembered him, for he was only eight when his uncle had died on foreign soil. But he could easily see how much his father missed him. And if death really wasn't an end, then why did he miss him so much? The answer was simple: Death _was_ an end.

Perhaps Uncle N'Jobu's tragic story was why T'Challa was so distrustful of outsiders. N'Jobu had been sent to America as a spy, to observe the black community in the country. After observing them for a long time, he had chosen to trust them. But the Americans had betrayed his trust, and killed him. His body had never been found; they couldn't even give him a proper burial. Uncle N'Jobu had been murdered by the very people he had been sent to help. Shuri had never known him. She knew how he had died, of course, but the story hadn't affected her as deeply as it had affected T'Challa. She was fascinated by Americans. Mostly because of their movies. She loved watching those old spy movies with their father, while T'Challa just scoffed at them. They were always too predictable. The hero won too easily. Boring. Wakandan movies were much better. But Shuri's personal favorites were the animations produced by Disney. T'Challa had lost count of how many times he and Shuri had watched _The Lion King_ together, because he couldn't say no to her.

Still, even T'Challa didn't know since when Shuri was interested in Norse mythology. After their father had had the treehouse destroyed, no one ever mentioned that night in the forest again. But T'Challa could see how deeply it still troubled his father. So, when he saw him leaving the Citadel one morning, he decided to shadow him. He didn't know why; he just had a feeling that his father would change his plans if he saw T'Challa around.

But he didn't see T'Challa, and he went to the herb gardens, probably to speak with Zuri. He ordered the Dora Milaje accompanying him to wait at the entrance, so T'Challa had to find another way to enter. He was a good climber, and even better at stealth, so he didn't take long for him to find another way to sneak in and eavesdrop at their conversation.

"So, do you really believe her?" T'Challa heard his father ask.

"It would be blasphemy not to." Zuri's tone was firm. "My king, this is Bast herself we are talking about!"

"Perhaps she is doing this just to get our attention. She is starting to realize her brother won't remain a child forever."

"With all due respect, Your Highness, I don't think the young princess is a liar."

"I am not saying she doesn't believe in what she says. Think about it, Zuri, she grew up with these stories! Bast guiding Bashenga to this cave…"

"Exactly. She knew the stories of how Bast led King Bashenga into _this_ cave. The Cave of Visions, on the other hand, is known to very few. And its entrance wasn't revealed in centuries! It is a miracle!"

"Perhaps she read about it somewhere…"

Zuri shook his head. "Not possible. There are no texts. Only teachings passed from one generation of shamans to the next. I asked the others. No one told her anything about the Cave of Visions."

They both remained silent for a few moments. Then, King T'Chaka asked, "Do you really want it to be true? You heard her, Zuri. If that was really the future, then my son will be killed by this… Thanos."

"And the gods themselves gave us a warning to make sure that will never happen."

"Can we stop it?"

"That is not for me to say."

"Alright. Thank you for your counsel, Zuri."

Zuri bowed to him. "My king."

After T'Challa's father left the gardens, Zuri returned to tending the plants. As T'Challa climbed up the narrow tunnel back to the surface, he thought of what he had just heard. So, his father didn't believe Shuri's vision was just a nightmare. He was rather _hoping_ it was a nightmare, because otherwise, his son would be killed by Thanos. T'Challa wondered what Thanos might have done to Shuri in that future. He hadn't killed her, obviously. Perhaps he was keeping her hostage, as some kind of trophy… Maybe he wanted her genius for himself. T'Challa had always been proud of his sister, but it was time to acknowledge the fact that her genius also made her a target. He had to protect her better.

And what about the other women she had seen? Maybe they were hostages as well, trying to go back in time to save their loved ones. Could Shuri's vision be a result of this time-travel attempt? He didn't know. His teachers said he was smart for his age, but that was all. He wasn't a science prodigy like Shuri. Perhaps in a few years, Shuri would be able to tell how time really worked.

His train of thoughts was interrupted when his Kimoyo beads beeped. When he answered the call, the hologram of N'Baza, his martial arts tutor appeared.

"Prince T'Challa, you are late for your sparring session…"

"Sorry, N'Baza. I am on my way."

He ended the call, and set off to the training grounds.

…

Shuri had been uncharacteristically quiet since the "incident." T'Challa saw no sign of improvement in her mood during dinner that evening either.

"So, Shuri, what did you learn in class today?" their mother asked.

She shrugged. "Not much."

"My little sister doesn't care for boasting? This is new…"

Shuri didn't reply. His mother gave T'Challa a scolding look, but he had hoped Shuri would take his joke as a challenge.

Their father, apparently, had decided to take a different approach. "I am planning to visit the Border Tribe soon. I want to see those White Rhinoceros they have been breeding for myself. Would you like to join me, son?"

"I would love to join you, _Baba_. And it has been a while since I last saw W'Kabi."

"What about you, Shuri?" he asked softly.

Shuri finally stopped playing with her food, and put the fork down. "I am not hungry. May I be excused?"

T'Challa didn't think their father would let her go. He took these family dinners very seriously, as if they were a sacred ritual. _"When you become King, it is so easy to ignore your family,"_ he would tell T'Challa. _"So, you have to make sure you spend time with them every day. Every. Single. Day."_ And he listened to his own advice. It was how he kept himself disciplined. He never missed a dinner, no matter what happened. But he let Shuri return to her room.

"We received another offer of international aid the other day. This time from the United Nations," T'Challa's mother complained afterward, as if nothing was wrong with her daughter. Apparently, the King and the Queen weren't going to discuss Shuri's moodiness in front of their son.

"Hmpf."

"Do you think they are getting suspicious, Father?"

"I doubt it," he replied slowly. He was always did everything slowly and carefully, as if he was scared that he might do something that couldn't be undone. "The existence of vibranium is no secret. But they still think Ulysses Klaue stole all of it."

T'Challa sighed. Ulysses Klaue. The only man who had ever been able to steal from Wakanda. He had also killed his friend W'Kabi's parents while escaping. And they weren't his only victims. Deep down, T'Challa was hoping the glory of killing the _Ungumbuali_ would be his one day.

After dinner, he decided to visit his sister. When he knocked on her door, she didn't answer. He entered the room nevertheless, and found her curled up in the bed, but her eyes were open.

"Do you need help with your homework, brother?" she asked dryly.

"I believe you, Shuri."

She shot up in the bed. "What?"

"I believe you. I think Bast appeared to you. I didn't see her, but you did." He told her what he had overheard in the herb gardens earlier today.

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, and she studied him for a while, probably to see if he was serious, or just messing with her. "What are we going to do?" she finally asked.

"You are the genius. You tell me."

"If the device in my vision was really a spacetime portal generator, then there might be a time-traveler walking among us right now. Is there an expert in temporal quantum physics in Wakanda?"

Gods, she was indeed too smart for her age. Sometimes it scared him. But she was right.

"No." Wakanda might be the most technologically advanced nation in the world, but there were lines even they dared not cross. Time-traveling was one of them. "But I am sure there are, in other parts of the world. They might be observing these sorts of anomalies."

Both the Design Group and the War Dogs observed important scientific and political changes all around the world, but they had never bothered to track spacetime anomalies, as far as he knew. Given how underdeveloped the technology was in the rest of the world, it would be just a waste of time and resources. At least that was what they thought, until now. But even if they started now, it might be too late. They didn't know how far the American in Shuri's vision had traveled back in time. Or if she had succeeded.

"Can we trust them?" There was incredulity in her voice, not skepticism. She would often complain about how paranoid T'Challa was when it came to outsiders, though she had never met an outsider herself. But then, neither had he.

He smiled and sat on the edge of her bed. "You know, _Baba_ always says I need to see the world. Perhaps he is right. Perhaps once I get a bachelor's degree here, I can go to Europe, or America, for graduate study."

"You don't have to do such a thing…"

He ruffled her short, curly hair. "I would do anything for you, little sister."

"I can go," she offered. "I am a fast learner. I will probably get my degree before you do."

"Probably," he agreed. "But you are too young for such a mission. It has to be me, Shuri."

She considered it for a moment. She didn't seem very happy, but nodded nevertheless. "Well, then, you are going to need a degree in Physics. And for that, my help."

"I believe I am."

…

After that night, Shuri returned to her usual cheerful self. T'Challa began to pay more attention to his science lessons. He might not be a genius like Shuri, but he wasn't too bad at it either. Their parents didn't know about the "plan" yet. T'Challa would tell them when the time came. In the meantime, he was looking for the best experts in temporal quantum physics around the world. Four years passed, and as his graduation approached, he finally decided to apply to Oxford. In fact, he was making a list of the documents he was going to need for the application when Okoye knocked on his door.

"My prince, King T'Chaka demands your presence in the throne room at once."

He chuckled. "Do you know what it is about?"

She dropped the formal attitude. "We have guests. Outsiders."

Outsiders. It was usually the Border Tribe who dealt with the outsiders. His face wrinkled in distaste, wondering why his father had let them in this time. "I see. Let us not keep my father waiting, then."

His father was alone in the throne room when T'Challa entered. T'Challa greeted him with a nod. "Father."

"My son. Do you know why I called you here?"

"Okoye said something about outsiders."

"Yes. It is time you learn how to handle them."

"What do you want me to do?"

"For now, not much. Just take a seat, and observe."

T'Challa took his seat beside the throne. "Who are these people?"

"SHIELD."

"Shield?"

"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. An American-based intelligence agency."

"So, they are spies…" Now he was even less happy.

His bluntness made King T'Chaka laugh. "In a way, yes. But these are different from the others."

"Different how?"

"Do you remember the name of the only outsider we trusted with our vibranium?"

"Howard Stark," he replied, recalling his history lessons. When the vibranium meteorite had landed, it hadn't remained completely intact. Hundreds, maybe thousands of small fragments had scattered around Africa. For centuries, Wakandans had done their best to collect these fragments and bring them home, but finding all of them was impossible. One of those fragments had been found by Americans, and taken to a young American scientist, Howard Stark. After studying the vibranium, Stark had assembled a team, and led an expedition to find the source of the strange material. And he had found Wakanda, indeed, but of course, been captured by the Border Tribe. His team had been held captive for weeks, until T'Challa's grandfather, King Azzuri, had chosen to trust him. No one knew why, but he had. He had even given this outsider some vibranium, as a sign of good faith. In return, Stark had used the vibranium to make a shield, and told everyone that it was all the vibranium he had been able to find. The shield had been given to their greatest hero, Captain America, who would sacrifice himself while fighting the Nazis in World War II. And Howard Stark had taken Wakanda's secrets to the grave.

His father nodded. "SHIELD was founded by Howard Stark. His successor, Nick Fury, inherited his secrets, including ours. I have done business with them before… Why do you look so surprised? Where do you think our dollar reserves come from? Textile?"

So, there were other outsiders who knew… T'Challa wondered why his father hadn't told him before. Perhaps he had feared that his son would overreact. But now, T'Challa could see that how naive he had been. Of course, their foreign currency reserves had to come from such secret deals… They were probably rare, but given how valuable vibranium was, they were enough to keep Wakanda's economy going.

His father then ordered the Dora Milaje to let the outsiders in. There were three of them. Two were wearing dark business suits. The third spy, the one with an eyepatch, was wearing a long, black trenchcoat. That one had to be Nick Fury. He was an African-American, but it wasn't going to make it easier for T'Challa to trust him. After all, wasn't it the black community who had betrayed Uncle N'Jobu? Outsiders were outsiders. No matter what color their skin was.

Fury greeted the King with a nod. "King T'Chaka. Thank you for seeing us."

"Director Fury. Welcome to Wakanda. It is good to see you again."

"Likewise."

"This is my son, Prince T'Challa."

Fury's eye turned to T'Challa, and the two exchanged brief nods.

T'Challa's father sighed thoughtfully. "Some people think I am a benevolent, but stubborn leader. Others, I fear, judge me more harshly. A vain dictator who rather lets his people suffer than accept foreign aid… A sacrifice I have to make, to protect Wakanda's secrets."

Director Fury nodded. "You know, when I first read the SHIELD reports on your country, I thought they were exaggerating."

"If I am not mistaken, SHIELD has a numeric clearance system. May I ask what the minimum clearance level is to access the reports concerning our country?"

"Those reports do not _officially_ exist, so there's no 'minimum clearance level,' Your Highness. They are, let's say, for the eyes of the Director only."

"I see you are building your own legacy of secrets."

"I am, indeed. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what brings me here."

"What is it you want from us, Director?"

"A hard-drive."

"A hard-drive?"

"To store some of my secrets. A… Toolbox that can only be opened by a successor of my choosing."

So, Fury wanted a storage device that cannot be used by anyone other than the person Fury would choose to be the next Director of SHIELD. He had come to the right place, then. The Wakandan Design Group could give him what he wanted. If the King approved, of course.

"Is that all?" his father asked.

"There's one more thing, actually. Since I became the Director of SHIELD, I've encountered several cases of… enhanced individuals. And I can assure you, their numbers are increasing."

"Enhanced individuals?" Now his father seemed troubled.

"For now, none of these people possesses a serious threat, but I'd like to be prepared. I was wondering if your scientists could design a containment chamber, adaptable to various cases. Of course, we're prepared to pay whatever—"

He raised his hand to silence Fury, but in a respectful manner. "We can discuss the price once the Design Group determines how much your orders will cost us. But if we are going to do business again, I have another condition this time."

"What is it?"

"Information, Director. I will give you three names, and you will tell me if they mean anything to you."

T'Challa's heart almost jumped to his throat. Shuri's vision. He was going to ask the Director about the names in Shuri's vision… T'Challa had thought his father had stopped looking for answers, or worse, indeed decided to dismiss the incident as a child's fantasy. How wrong he had been…

"Alright."

"Sigyn. Loki. Thanos. Have you ever heard of these people? Any of them?"

"No," Fury replied curtly. "I'm afraid not." The expression on Fury's face was inscrutable. There was no way of telling if he was telling the truth or not.

"And if you do, will you let us now? Will you share that knowledge with us, no matter how insignificant it might seem?"

"I will."

His father smiled. "Then we have a deal, Director Fury. Come, son. Let's visit the Design Group." He then summoned a guard and asked him to show their guests where they will be staying. Then T'Challa and his father left for Mount Bashenga.

"I didn't know you were seeking answers," T'Challa told his father as a flyer took them to Mount Bashenga. "About Shuri's vision."

"We haven't been able to make much progress, though, have we?"

" _We_?"

"Do you think me a fool, son?"

"Of course not!"

"Do you think I didn't notice how you suddenly started showing much more interest in your science classes after that night? My only question is, why? What exactly are you looking for?"

"I want to find the time-traveler," he admitted. "I am planning to go abroad for graduate study. In fact, I was planning to tell you about it tonight. I am thinking of Oxford University. There are some professors there who have been monitoring spacetime anomalies around the world for nearly two decades."

He frowned.

"What is wrong? Like you, I don't trust outsiders, but I thought you wanted me to see the world," he continued. "To understand it better."

"Indeed I do."

"I have to know, _Baba_."

"Fine. It appears this is meant to be your first quest, both as a prince, and as a brother. Who am I to stop you?"

" _Baba_?"

"Yes?"

"If you believe Shuri, why do you lie her about it? You always say lies weaken the family."

"Because I don't know what kind of answers we will find. They might be too much for Shuri. Sometimes it is easy to forget this, but she is just a child, T'Challa. You are not, though. You are a man now. And I know you will understand."

"Thank you."

"Shuri can't know about the deal Fury and I made either. Not yet, at least."

T'Challa nodded. He didn't want to lie to his sister. It felt wrong. But he also knew what a wise man his father was. Unless he really believed the truth might hurt Shuri, he wouldn't have asked T'Challa to keep secrets from her.

"Do you think Director Fury was telling the truth?"

"I am not sure. You were right, son. He is a spy. Nevertheless, I have set something in motion. Sooner or later, we will see the results of that deal."

Beneath Mount Bashenga, was the Great Mound, their vibranium mine. The entrance to the Design Group labs was located on the top of the mountain, though. His father was looking at the Black Panther statue as their flyer landed.

"Do you think you are ready? To become the next Black Panther?"

His father's sudden question had caught T'Challa unprepared. "I—I don't know. Why do you ask?"

"I am getting old. And Wakanda needs a protector."

T'Challa didn't want to think much about it. It was a fact, but still… He didn't think he would ever be ready to lose his father. When he was a child, he was excited about getting his own Panther Habit, of course. And all that power that would come with the Heart-Shaped Herb. He had seen his father pick up a man with one hand, or run as fast as a zebra. But now, he could see what it really meant. Passing the mantle to his son would just be another step towards the inevitable, and yet the unthinkable end.

He patted on T'Challa's shoulder. "We can discuss that later. After you get your Ph.D."

T'Challa knew where they were going. To S'Yan's lab. S'Yan was the current head of the Wakandan Design Group, and one of Shuri's tutors. There weren't many people who could keep up with her genius these days, but S'Yan was doing a good job.

The guards and scientists were saluting the king and the prince as they walked. T'Challa spotted his sister among the students—most of them were much older than she was—gathered around a hologram of a human body, performing a simulated surgery. One student nudged her, she looked up, and smiled at them. Their father gestured her to stay, but of course, she didn't listen.

"Shuri…"

"It is alright, Father. We were almost done anyway. What are you two doing here?"

T'Challa decided to see how much their father would tell her, so he remained quiet.

"We are looking for S'Yan. I have a job for him."

"A job?"

"You will see. Come."

They found S'Yan in his private lab. When they entered, he stood up and bowed to the royal family. "My King. Prince T'Challa. Princess Shuri."

"Hello, S'Yan. It has been a while since last I saw you. How are Shuri's lessons going?"

"Your daughter is one of the most brilliant minds Wakanda has ever seen. It is a privilege to teach her."

T'Challa winked at her, and Shuri stuck her tongue at him in response.

"I am pleased to hear that. But I am actually here for something else today."

"How may I be of service, my king?"

"I need you to design a hard-drive, and a containment chamber. For outsiders."

"For outsiders?" Shuri asked.

"Yes, Shuri. We have guests."

Shuri actually squealed. "Are they here? Can I meet them? Please, Father!"

"No."

She started pouting. T'Challa understood her disappointment. Shuri was a curious child. And "outsiders" were one of the few things she hadn't been able to study so far.

But curiosity wasn't the only thing that made her interested in the outside world. Despite T'Challa's best efforts, she was also a lonely child. She was outgoing and playful, but the people around her see her as their princess, rather than a friend. They were afraid to offend her. T'Challa didn't blame them. Maybe they just couldn't help themselves, but it was the truth. Perhaps an outsider could be a real friend to her, if they could be trusted… But that was unlikely.

"Believe me, sister, there is nothing interesting about them."

She eyed him with a mixture of suspicion and jealousy. "So, you met them…"

"Yes."

While their father was busy giving S'Yan the details of the job, Shuri was asking endless questions about their "guests." Who were they? What they were doing here? How did they know about Wakanda's secrets?

"They are just people, Shuri," he said at last. "Like us."

"I know that, genius. You don't seem to like them much, though."

He shrugged. "They are spies."

"How did _Baba_ agree to give them a piece of our tech?"

"Politics," their father, who had done speaking with S'Yan, broke in. "SHIELD and I came to a mutual understanding. A king must know when to play well with others."

"Politics are a waste of time, if you ask me. Two people in a room can get done more than a hundred," T'Challa disagreed.

"Unless you move a piano."

T'Challa chuckled.

"Let's head back home. Shuri, you return to your class."

"Yes, Father," she said, and left.

"You go ahead, Father, I will be joining you in a second."

"Alright."

T'Challa was able to catch up with Shuri before she rejoined the other students. "I have good news for you, sister. I talked to Father, about graduate school. He said yes."

She grinned, and flung her arms around his neck. "Thanks, big brother."

…

Shortly after T'Challa received his bachelor's degree in Physics that summer, his letter of acceptance from Oxford University arrived. In fact, it was his best friend, W'Kabi who delivered him the letter the outsiders had brought. T'Challa knew he was going to miss Wakanda. But hopefully, he was going to return home with answers.


	3. Chapter 3

_Luke Charles._

The university administration knew who he really was, of course, but to everyone else, Prince T'Challa was Luke Charles, the only child of a British businessman who worked in Zimbabwe. Luke had been born there, to an Xhosa mother. Thanks to this backstory, at least he didn't have to lose his accent, and lie about his mother tongue. While preparing for this mission for the past four years, the one thing he had refused was to lose his accent. He would do anything for his sister, of course, but he didn't want to be a real spy unless he absolutely had to. An honorable warrior needed a code to live by.

This mission wasn't easy for him. He had never been separated from his family, his country before. It had been barely two weeks, and he was already homesick. But every time he talked to Shuri, he could see that it was even more difficult for her. She was staying strong, though. He had to give her that much.

"How do I look?" he asked her.

She narrowed her eyes and studied him for a moment. "That red tie is hideous. Where is the navy tie with stripes? The one I gave you for your birthday last year?"

T'Challa laughed, and swapped the "hideous" tie with the navy one with white stripes. He had been invited to a reception for international students, but he was only attending because he knew people who refused to blend in generally drew more suspicion. He didn't want to look like a hermit.

Shuri nodded in satisfaction. "Much better."

"Good, because I am getting late."

"Alright, then. Have fun!"

He tapped on the Kimoyo bead, and his sister's hologram disappeared. He then hid the beads in the hidden safe behind the dresser. In the outside world, any piece of Wakandan tech was too conspicuous to be carried around freely, so he had to rely on primitive computers and cell phones when he wasn't alone. At least he had been able to buy a single apartment outside the campus. Otherwise, his secrets would be much harder to protect.

…

T'Challa wasn't very good with women. In Wakanda, he didn't have the luxury of casually flirting with women, unless he wanted to give them false hopes of becoming the future queen of Wakanda. Perhaps that was why he had agreed to go on a date with this girl, Raissa. It wasn't his idea. He had met her during that reception for the international students, they had had a good time, and at the end of the night, she had said she had two tickets for a jazz concert in London. T'Challa had said he would love to go with her.

He hadn't told his family about Raissa yet. He was afraid that Shuri would become jealous. And his parents would tell him to focus on the mission, not to mention that they would never approve a relationship with an outsider. To be honest, T'Challa didn't know much about Raissa either. She was an African-American from New Orleans, and having a Ph.D here in anthropology. She was the only child of the family. Her parents ran a hotel in the French Quarter. That was all he knew.

He had promised to pick her up at 17.00, so here he was, waiting in his car, in front of her apartment building. Indeed, she appeared at the door exactly at 17.00. T'Challa would be impressed by her punctuality, if he weren't already busy being impressed by how gorgeous she looked. She was wearing an emerald green dress, a black trench coat, and a pair of matching black boots that reached her knees. She had wrapped a green-and-gold plaid scarf around her neck. He didn't know why this sight suddenly took his breath away. There wasn't anything particularly unusual, or revealing about her outfit. Maybe it was the way she carried herself. It was a strange mixture of confidence and modesty. T'Challa had never seen anything like this before.

Raissa waved at him when she spotted his car. He climbed out, and opened the passenger door for her.

"Thank you. I hope I didn't keep you waiting for long…"

"Not at all. And you look great."

She flashed him a shy smile. "As do you."

There wasn't anything unusual about his clothes either. In fact, he looked even plainer than she was. A pair of jeans, a black t-shirt, and a leather jacket.

"So, how was your day?" she asked him as he started the car.

"Tiring," he replied, and it wasn't a lie. With Shuri's help, he was hoping to impress the professors, so that he could be more involved in their temporal quantum physics research. "How about yours?"

"Same," she said, and started telling him about her research on Creoles of color. She was a student who had chosen to focus on the cultural aspect of anthropology, and her greatest dream was to open a museum one day.

"I hope you _really_ like jazz," she then said. "I guess I just wanted something that would remind me of home, and I didn't want to go alone, but…"

"I enjoy all kinds of music, as long as it is good." That wasn't a lie either.

"What about your home? Don't you miss Zimbabwe at all?"

"I miss the nice weather," he joked, looking at the rain clouds. Indeed, it rained too much in this country.

"I'm serious," she insisted.

He sighed. Raissa could talk about her home for hours. What could he tell her about Zimbabwe? He had learned a lot about that country before becoming Luke Charles, of course, but there was nothing personal he could say about it. Suddenly, he realized he wasn't as prepared as he had thought. But then, normally, he wouldn't let anyone ask him such personal questions. He would always keep his distance. Yes, going on a date was a bad idea, he could see that now.

"I wasn't very close with my family," he said at last. That was definitely a lie. "I didn't have any good friends either. There is nothing there for me to miss."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be nosy."

"You are not nosy. My life is simply… less interesting than yours, it appears."

"We'll see about that," she said, and something in her voice gave him the impression that she could see through his lies. Or maybe, he was being paranoid. If Shuri were here, she would say he was.

About an hour later, they were at the nightclub where the concert would be held. Soon, the music filled the silence, and it didn't take long for T'Challa to realize that Raissa had a good taste in music. He almost wished he could introduce her to the traditional music of his people. She ordered a whiskey, neat, but T'Challa ordered a non-alcoholic cocktail, for he would be driving. He didn't like being drunk anyway. He preferred to be keen and prepared for a fight at all times. Again, maybe he was being paranoid, but he couldn't help it. He had been raised to be a warrior. Still, at least he allowed himself to enjoy the moment.

It was way past midnight by the time he stopped the car in front of Raissa's apartment complex again.

She looked like she was expecting him to say something, so he confessed, "I had never done anything like this before."

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You mean, you'd never been on a date before? I find that hard to believe."

"But it is true."

"Well, I hope you enjoyed yourself tonight, at least."

"I did. Thank you, Raissa."

When she leaned forward, T'Challa immediately realized what she was about to do. He wanted to stop her. But he couldn't. It was as if he had frozen. But when she kissed him, his lips were somehow able to move and kiss her back.

"Goodnight, Luke," she whispered afterward, and got out of the car before he could say anything.

…

He didn't need his parents to tell him that what was happening between him and an outsider woman was wrong. He couldn't tell Raissa the truth. He couldn't keep lying to her either, because he didn't want to. She deserved better. Not all outsiders were evil, he could see that now. Some were just innocent civilians like Raissa. So, he didn't call her after their first date. She did, but he didn't answer her calls. It was rude of him, he knew, but if he went on another date with her, T'Challa was afraid that he wouldn't able to resist her charm.

Soon, she stopped calling. T'Challa still saw her around the campus occasionally. When that happened, they simply ignored each other. T'Challa decided to take up some new hobbies to keep himself distracted, and joined the swimming, athletics, and kickboxing teams of the school. For a warrior like him, pushing his body to its limits was a source of familiarity and comfort. He talked to his family, especially Shuri, almost every day, which helped him remember why he was here. And he would be here for the next four years, so he had to find a way to live with the loneliness.

Things were going well, at least until one day he found Raissa sitting on his couch upon returning from a swimming practice.

"How did you get in here?"

"I picked the lock."

He raised his eyebrows. "You picked the lock?"

"Yes."

He was starting to realize this woman might not be as innocent as she looked. Normally, T'Challa would never hurt a civilian, especially a woman, but male or female, a threat was a threat. He grabbed her by the throat, and shook her.

"Who sent you?" he yelled. "Who do you work for?"

"Your father." She still spoke in English, but she had suddenly switched to Wakandan accent.

It might, or might not be true. But he decided to give her a chance, and released her. "Prove it."

Without a word, she showed him the War Dog tattoo inside her lower lip. That left no room for doubt; she was Wakandan.

So, his father didn't trust T'Challa enough to leave him alone here… It wasn't her fault; she was just following her king's orders. Still, he didn't like being fooled. He was actually embarrassed, when he realized how easily he had fallen for her tricks. This spy had wrapped her prince around her fingers. In his defense, she was good. The way she talked about her family, her home, her dreams… Even now, he found it hard to believe that such a passion could be fake. But it was. There was no denying it.

"You are a good liar," he said, almost defensively.

"I wish I could say the same about you."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You are too tense. Too guarded. You draw suspicion. That is why King T'Chaka sent me here."

"Well, I am a warrior, not a spy." He wasn't going to be ashamed that he wasn't a good spy.

"I know, Prince T'Challa. That is why I am here."

"What do you mean?"

"I am here to help you. To teach you how to be Luke Charles. Properly."

"I don't need your help. Get out of my sight!"

"Very well. If you change your mind, you know where to find me. Good day, Prince T'Challa," she said formally, stood up, and walked out of his apartment. Once he was alone, he took the Kimoyo beads from the safe, and called his father.

"Hello, my son," he said. "How are you?"

"Why did you send a spy after me, _Baba_?" He knew he was being disrespectful, but right now, he was too angry to care.

"Nakia, you mean…"

He hadn't asked the spy her name. Even if he had, would she have given him her real name? "Have I ever disappointed you, _Baba_?"

"Never."

"Then why did you send a spy after me?" he repeated the question.

His father thought for a moment before speaking. "I didn't send Nakia because I didn't trust you. I simply didn't want you to be alone out there. I wanted you to have a friend. Someone to watch your back. You are my son, T'Challa. My first born. Do you have any idea how much you mean to me? I… I didn't want you…"

T'Challa's anger had subsided. "You didn't want me to end up like Uncle N'Jobu…"

"No."

"I can handle myself, Father."

"I know. But you don't have to do it alone. And Nakia… She might have been trained as a spy, but she is also much more than that. Talk to her. Give her a chance to be your friend."

His father, the King of Wakanda, the Black Panther, was almost begging him. It made T'Challa feel a bit guilty. "I will listen to your advice, Father. I promise."

He smiled. "You won't regret it."

"I am sorry. Please forgive my disrespect."

"There is nothing to forgive. You are young. And perhaps a bit too eager to prove your worth. But that is the mark of a dutiful son."

"Thank you. Goodbye, _Baba_."

"Goodbye, my son."

After this call, suddenly, T'Challa started to feel less homesick. He was a proud Wakandan. A couple of years in a foreign country wasn't going to change that. In fact, weren't there dozens of Wakandan spies all around the world, who spent their whole lives in foreign countries, just to be able to serve Wakanda? Sometimes, lies and secrecy were necessary to get a job done. After all, wasn't it T'Challa who always believed two people in a room could get done more than a hundred? And Nakia… He decided not to insult her because she was good at her job. Tomorrow, he was going to talk to her. And he was going to be nice.

…

The next day, he didn't see Nakia anywhere around the campus. Was it just a coincidence, or was she deliberately avoiding him, T'Challa didn't know. She didn't answer his calls either. But at least he knew where she lived, so, after his classes were over for the day, he went to see her.

Nakia answered the door with an inscrutable look on her face.

T'Challa smiled. "You know, it is disrespectful of you to ignore your prince."

"My apologies," she said with a mock bow, but let him enter. She, too, had a studio apartment, but hers was smaller. Nakia went to the kitchen and started making tea. T'Challa leaned against the counter, and watched her in silence for some time.

"I spoke with my father last night," he said at last. "He thinks very highly of you."

"I am honored to hear that," she replied dryly.

"How come I never saw you around the Citadel?"

"Perhaps you are not as observant as you think you are, Prince T'Challa."

He chuckled. She was angry with him, and she wasn't even trying to hide it. "Perhaps," he agreed.

Nakia poured two cups of tea, and gave T'Challa one of the cups. "Milk? Sugar?"

His face wrinkled in distaste. "No, thanks… Most people in this country have their tea with milk, right? I don't know how they can do it."

"Well, I am adaptable." She put some milk into her own cup, as if she wanted to prove her point.

"And what about that kiss? Was it also you being _adaptable_?"

She took a careful sip. "I come from the River Tribe," she then said suddenly. "My parents are fishmongers."

"But you wanted to be something more…"

"I wanted to make a difference in the _world_ , not just in Wakanda. So, I went to the Citadel one day, when I was 13. I never thought the King would agree to speak to a fisherman's daughter in person, but he did. He asked me what troubled me so much. I told him that it was wrong of us to keep hiding in the shadows. That I couldn't live in peace, knowing there were people who needed our help out there. I couldn't change his mind about Wakanda's isolationist traditions, but I could also see that he shared my concerns. He told me there were other ways to help those people, but I had to dedicate my entire life to it. That is how I became a War Dog. I don't enjoy lying to people, I don't enjoy pretending to be someone I am not. But I get to save lives. Innocent lives. So, Prince T'Challa, do you still think my path is less honorable than a warrior's?"

"I didn't mean to insult you, Nakia. But not everyone you want to help is as innocent as they might seem."

"I know how Prince N'Jobu died," she said softly. "And I know I might face a similar fate someday. But it doesn't stop me from doing what I think is right. I am not a coward."

T'Challa was starting to see why his father had chosen her for this mission. Nakia had a noble heart. He tried not to think about what a great queen she would be. Those were dangerous waters.

"How much did my father tell you?" he asked instead.

"I am sorry?"

"Do you know why I am _really_ here?"

"Yes. Princess Shuri's vision."

"And do you believe my sister?" He wanted to know what Nakia thought about this.

"My honest opinion?"

"Please."

"I believe Princess Shuri. And I also believe the future she saw was a punishment for turning our backs to the rest of the world."

Something about the way she had said that sent shivers down T'Challa's spine. A punishment. Even if Nakia was right, his young, innocent sister was the last person to blame in the Wakandan royal family. She was only ten, for Bast's sake.

"What do you think happened in that future?"

"I think someone came for us. For all of us. And he didn't care if we were black, or white. He didn't care if we were African, European, or American. He came for the Earth itself."

"Thanos… Do you think he is not of this world?"

Nakia shrugged. "Your sister saw a spaceship. And did our vibranium not come from space? Bast knows what else is out there. Or who."

Thanos being an alien… It was actually a plausible theory.

"And what about the Nordic names? Sigyn and Loki?"

Nakia chuckled. "Why do you think I chose to study anthropology? While you are looking for a time-traveler, I am looking for something else." She fetched her Kimoyo beads, and showed him her real research. It had nothing to do with the Creoles of color in New Orleans.

"I am trying to find something, anything that can lead us to the Norse gods."

"So, do you think this Sigyn, and her husband… They are just not people named after the Norse gods, but the Norse gods themselves?"

"It is possible. They might have come from another world, and the Vikings might have worshipped them as gods."

"Have you been able to find any proof so far?"

"I might have found something. According to the legends, these Norse gods are from a land called Asgard, right? There are many tales about Asgardians visiting our world. This poem, for example. _The Warrior Who Stayed_."

She showed her an image of the manuscript.

"This is a French poem…"

"I know. This is where things get even more interesting. Why would a French priest in 1546 write a poem about Norse myths? Unless, of course, there was some truth to those myths."

"Do you think he met one of these Norse gods?"

"Yes. Now, according to this poem, this warrior was a Berserker, and his powers came from a magical staff. When the Berserker decided to stay, instead of returning to Asgard, he broke his staff into three pieces, and hid these pieces across Europe. I have been trying to decipher the poem. If I succeed, we can find one of the pieces, study it, and learn more about these 'gods.'"

Seeing how far Nakia had come left T'Challa speechless. He knew his father wouldn't choose someone who wasn't capable for a mission like this, but Nakia was apparently much more capable than T'Challa had thought.

"My father was right. I am glad you are here, Nakia."

…

Three months later, Nakia deciphered the poem. At least a part of it. And if she was right, a part of the Berserker Staff was hidden in a church in Ireland. It was going to be an easy mission. T'Challa and Nakia were going to pretend to be two curious tourists, walk around the church, find the fragment of the Berserker Staff, and scan it. The Design Group could handle the rest; there was no reason to steal the fragment. Besides, from the poem, they had concluded that touching it might be dangerous.

Everything went according to the plan. The fragment wasn't open to public display, but T'Challa located it, hidden inside a wall, and scanned it with the Kimoyo beads while Nakia kept the monks busy with her questions.

"Raissa, my dear, give the poor men a break," he said as he approached them after he was done. The monks gave him a grateful smile, and walked away. Yes, he was getting better at this.

"It is done," he whispered.

"Good. Now look at this." She pointed at a painting in a book with her head. The painting of a saint who had visited this church. Only, this "saint" was holding something that resembled the Berserker Staff in his hands. He tried not to look too carefully, for they didn't want the monks to get suspicious. "Do you think that is him? The Berserker?"

"Probably. Are we done here?"

Just in case, he took the picture of the painting, and sent it to Shuri as well. "We are. Let's go."

On their way back to the hotel, he received a call from Shuri.

"Shuri?"

"Brother? Can you talk?"

"Yes. We are in the car." He smiled at Nakia, who was driving.

"S'Yan and I have been working on the scan you sent us. The language of the carvings is more complicated than any language that has ever been recorded in history. The staff's atomic structure is also incredibly complex, but one thing is certain. The metal is alien. And you were right not to touch it. It is inorganic, but it somehow interacts with the nervous system."

"You mean, it can really turn someone into a Berserker?"

"For now, it is only a theory, but yes. I will keep you updated."

"Thank you, sister."

He ended the call, and looked at Nakia. He didn't know what to think of this. So, aliens existed, and they had been here. People had worshipped them as gods. What had exactly happened in that future? Had Earth got stuck in a war between two alien groups? Or was it something else?

"What?" Nakia asked.

"So, we know we will be dealing with aliens… What now?"

"Would you like to hear another far-fetched theory?"

"Your far-fetched theories usually turn out to be true, so yes."

"That Berserker… His face seemed to be somewhat familiar. I think I might have met him."

"Are you sure?"

"I am a spy, I am good with faces. I might be wrong, of course, but there was a Norse mythology professor I met in Seville. I had sent him an e-mail about the poem, and he had asked me on a dinner…"

"Dinner?" He probably shouldn't be feeling this way—after all, Nakia wasn't his girlfriend—but suddenly he was jealous.

"Yes. Dinner," she replied sharply. "And I learned a lot from him. He is considered one of the best in his field. But what if this man actually teaches his autobiography?"

"Well, then I guess we are going to Spain next…"

…

It hadn't been difficult for Nakia to arrange a meeting with Professor Elliot Randolph in his office. And he welcomed them—or Nakia, at least—with open arms.

"Raissa, my dear! It's been a long time… How have you been doing?"

Nakia gave him a hug, and switched to her American accent. "It's so good to see you again, Professor Randolph! I've been admitted to a Ph.D program in Anthropology at Oxford. I couldn't have done it without your reference, of course. Thank you for everything."

"Ah, don't mention it."

"By the way, this is my boyfriend, Luke."

Randolph's smile faded when he heard the word "boyfriend," but shook T'Challa's hand nevertheless.

"So, what can I do for you?"

"Professor, I believe I've found one of the fragments of the staff mentioned in _The Warrior Who Stayed_."

T'Challa had hoped this would make him visibly uncomfortable, but it didn't. Perhaps he had met too many people who thought they had found a piece of the Berserker Staff. Or maybe, Nakia had been wrong about him. They had come here for nothing. But they weren't going to leave until they were sure. He started looking around the room for a clue.

"Did you, now? Would you care to share your theory with me?"

"It is more than a theory, Professor, for Luke saw the fragment with his own eyes. In a church in Ireland." Her voice was still sweet, yet now full of insinuation.

Randolf gulped. "A—are you sure? Perhaps you two mistook it for—"

"You have expensive tastes, Professor," T'Challa interrupted him. The room was full of objects a simple mythology professor couldn't normally afford. "Tastes a professor like you cannot afford. Unless, of course, you come from wealth, or have too much time to save money."

He chuckled nervously. "What are you trying to imply?"

"I'm implying that you may not be… human."

"This is madness. I'm going to have to ask you to leave, now."

"We will. After we get some answers."

"No." When he went to open the door, T'Challa grabbed him by his wrist, but suddenly, something unexpected happened. Randolph twisted T'Challa's arm with such a force that it brought the latter down on his knees.

"Luke!" Nakia cried, and drew a vibranium Ring-Blade she always carried around with her. "Let him go!"

He did. T'Challa rose to his feet again. "You were right," he told her. "He is not human."

"You can put that weapon down, Raissa… or, whoever you really are. Weapons of this world will not harm me."

"This one is not exactly of this world, believe me. "

For some reason, this gave him a sort of relief. He laughed. "Oh. So, I'm not the only one with secrets. How exciting… Where are you from?"

"We are not aliens," T'Challa said. "But we need answers. Are you an alien Norse god?"

" _Norse god_ ," he scoffed, and his relief vanished again. "I'm not a _god_. I'm an Asgardian. So, yes, I'm an alien, technically. And I don't know what this is about, but you two are about to ruin my life."

 _Glory to Bast_ , T'Challa thought. Nakia had been right. They were on the right track.

"Put that weapon down, Raissa," Randolph repeated. "I don't want to fight you. I don't want to fight anyone."

"Really? Isn't that why you came to this planet in the first place, _Berserker_?"

"That was a long time ago. I'm a pacifist now. I mean, just look at me."

Well, other than his expensive tastes, the man knew how to blend in well, T'Challa had to give him that. T'Challa nodded to her, and only then, she lowered the ring.

"We don't want to ruin your life. We are just looking for a woman named Sigyn. Do you know her?"

"Of course I do. Who doesn't know Queen Frigga's prodigy? And her wedding to Loki… What a scandal that was," he reminisced.

T'Challa frowned in confusion. "Can you help us find her?"

"No. You really need to leave me alone. Damn, I shouldn't have told you anything."

"Why not?"

"Because last time I checked, the Allfather didn't want mortals to know about our existence. I have a nice life here. I don't want to be dragged back to Asgard and spend the rest of my days in a dungeon!"

"The Allfather?" Nakia asked. "You mean, Odin? Is he real as well?"

Randolph looked up at the ceiling. "I didn't tell them anything. They already knew. You saw that, didn't you, mighty Heimdall? You know it's not my fault?"

"Who are you talking to?" T'Challa asked.

When he made no reply, Nakia decided to answer the question instead. "I think he was talking to the all-seeing Asgardian gatekeeper."

Randolph rubbed his face with a hand. "Oh, shit…"

"If your existence was to be a secret, why did your king send an army to Earth?" T'Challa asked. In some ways, this Asgard reminded him of Wakanda. Only, Wakanda would never send out troops. Waging war wasn't their way.

"We were trying to protect you from others! Not all beings in the universe are friendly, you know…"

"You are our allies, then. Good. Because we need your help once again. The whole world might be at stake here. Have you ever heard the name Thanos? Is he one of you?"

"Thanos? Never heard of him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. It's not even an Asgardian name. But if this is as important as you say it is, Heimdall will let the Allfather know, and Lady Sigyn, or maybe someone else will pay you a visit."

"Someone else? Like who?"

"I—I don't know. Her sister, Lady Sif, perhaps. And the Warriors Three. Even Thor himself might decide to join, if he deems this threat interesting enough… Can you please leave me be now?"

"How long will it take?" T'Challa insisted.

"I don't know, I haven't been to Asgard in centuries."

"And you are not planning to return any time soon," Nakia observed.

"I told you, I have a good life here. Back in Asgard, I was a stone mason! Why do you think I volunteered to join the Berserker Army?" He laughed bitterly.

Suddenly, T'Challa felt pity for the man, and decided to leave him be. He was right. He had built himself a life here. They had no right to take that away from him.

"Your secret is safe with us, Elliot Randolph. I give you my word… Raissa, let's go." He gestured Nakia to follow him outside.

They were both silent. Probably because they both needed time to process what they had just discovered. They had just met an alien. That wasn't easy to process, even for Wakandans. As they walked out of the building, a deep frown appeared on Nakia's forehead.

"What is on your mind, Nakia?" he finally asked.

"What are we going to do now?"

"We will keep looking. And hope to get this Heimdall's attention."

"What if they don't come to us, like Randolph said they would?"

"I don't know, Nakia," he said, but he didn't like the thought. They were probably going to need allies if they wanted to defeat Thanos. Allies that knew him better than the Wakandans did.

"Now do you understand, what it feels like to be in need of help? To pray that those who can help you won't turn their backs on you?"

He didn't say anything. Nakia had a point. All his life, T'Challa had lived with the confidence that he was a part of the most advanced nation in the world. That he never had to rely on anyone other than his people for anything. But when Randolph had brought him to his knees today, T'Challa had felt something he had never felt before. Desperation. Once he became the Black Panther, maybe his strength would be equal to Randolph's, but what about everyone else? Could they defy an army of people like Elliot Randolph?

…

T'Challa and Nakia spent the next four years looking for further evidence on the aliens. Tales, rumors, UFO videos, anything that could lead them to Sigyn, or Loki. They even thought of hacking the SHIELD mainframe, but King T'Chaka forbade it, fearing that it might be traced back to Wakanda if they got caught. Unfortunately, they never got lucky again. No Asgardians contacted them either.

And much to his disappointment, none of his professors had discovered any evidence of an actual time-traveler in the past two decades. So, after their graduation, T'Challa and Nakia returned home. If it weren't for his relationship with Nakia, he would say the last four years were waste of time.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I realized I forgot to say how long this story is going to be. It will be around 64k, with 14 chapters in total. And for those who came here from _The Heiress_ , don't worry. Although there will be no Ana or Tony Stark POVs, there will still be many parts focusing on the Starks. I tried really hard to make this story readable both as a standalone and a sequel, so hopefully no one will get disappointed.**

* * *

Humans were three-dimensional beings. That was why they had invented the concepts of "past," "present," and "future." Because they couldn't perceive the fourth dimension. The truth was, there were no such concepts in the fourth dimension. "Time" was just an illusion. Those who claimed to have the power to see the future didn't have "magic" or "divine powers," of course, but they didn't necessarily have to be liars and charlatans either. They might simply have witnessed a glitch in the illusion of time.

For a race of three-dimensional creatures, humans still had a vast understanding of spacetime, mostly due to the phenomena such as black holes. The gravity of black holes was so intense that they could bend spacetime. If science found a way to replicate and control this force, then time-travel would be possible.

At least it was the argument of a young American quantum physicist these days.

It had been almost a year since Shuri's brother had returned home, and a lot had changed in Wakanda since then. First, their father had decided to pass the Black Panther mantle to T'Challa. T'Challa had accepted it with his usual solemnity, but Shuri hadn't bothered to hide her excitement. She had so many ideas for new Panther Habits, and she couldn't wait for T'Challa to test them out.

S'Yan had decided to retire. So, Shuri had become the leader of the Wakandan Design Group at the age of fifteen. But she could feel that not everyone was happy about this arrangement. They didn't like the fact that their technology was overseen by a child. Some even thought she had no respect for Wakandan culture, just because she dressed like an American teenager, or listened to American music. No one would say these to her face, of course, but Shuri knew what they said behind her back. She didn't care. One day they would all see that she was serving Wakanda with pride.

Shuri wasn't the only one who had got a promotion. Okoye had become the general of the Dora Milaje recently. And she was marrying W'Kabi, the leader of the Border Tribe and T'Challa's best friend. In fact, their wedding was today.

T'Challa was, however, wasn't as lucky as him when it came to love. His relationship with Nakia was not a secret to anyone, but one couldn't be both a War Dog and the future queen of Wakanda, and Nakia would only choose the second path if Wakanda decided to share its resources with the rest of the world. Upon returning from England, she had been sent to another mission in Somalia immediately, but had been able to return home just in time for Okoye's wedding.

And the timing couldn't have been any better, because both Nakia and T'Challa needed to hear about this American physicist. Nakia wanted to open Wakanda to the rest of the world not only because it was the right thing to do, but also because she believed it was the only way to stop Thanos.

Shuri had always thought she would be jealous when her brother eventually found himself a girlfriend. She and their mother had been the only women in his life for so long that she hadn't wanted that to change. But Nakia, with her usual charm, had easily found herself a place in this family. Even their mother, who didn't think any woman could be good enough for his son, liked Nakia.

When Shuri called them, the lovers answered her call together.

"Brother, Nakia. Come to my lab, there is something you need to see at once."

"Aren't you supposed to be preparing for the wedding?" T'Challa asked her.

"I can ask you the same question," Shuri said insinuatingly. He simply gave her a death glare while Nakia bit her lip in an embarrassed manner.

"We will be there soon," he said dryly, and ended the call.

Indeed, ten minutes later, they were in Shuri's lab. T'Challa and Shuri had a "secret handshake" since they were kids. It was a combination of a fist bump and traditional Wakandan salute of crossing the arms. This is how they greeted each other now, and Shuri knew he wasn't really angry with her for interrupting his "reunion" with Nakia.

Nakia, on the other hand, bowed her head to Shuri. "Princess…"

"Pfft. Stop it, Nakia."

Nakia chuckled, and gave her a warm hug instead.

"See? This is better. So, how was your mission?"

"I had to make a bit of a mess on my way out, but other than that, it went smoothly. I see you have been busy as well."

"It was actually more of a coincidence. I was taking a look at the latest issue of an MIT journal, just for fun, you know…"

"My little sister reads scientific journals like other teenagers read those young adult novels," T'Challa bragged.

Shuri grinned. "Anyway, that is how I found an undergraduate research on temporal quantum physics and Einstein's theory of general relativity."

"An undergraduate research?"

"Yes, but don't underestimate it, brother. In fact, I am sending a copy of the issue to your personal servers as we speak." She gave Griot, Shuri's latest creation and the new digital assistant of the Design Group, a command to send the copy to T'Challa.

"If you want me to read that research, give me a few days, at least. I am not you."

"You can read the research yourself later. I called you here for something else."

"Enough with the suspense, Shuri…"

"He is right, you are going to give your poor brother a heart attack," Nakia agreed.

Shuri smirked mischievously. "Alright. Guess who wrote that research?"

Instead of guessing, T'Challa simply opened up the file Shuri had just sent him and looked. "Ana Maria… _Stark_?"

Nakia frowned. "Daughter of Tony Stark?"

"I haven't even told you the best part yet…"

"What best part?"

"She is the American in my vision."

Silence.

"What?" Shuri snapped. "We have found another piece of the puzzle! Shouldn't we be celebrating?"

"What exactly do you want to do, sister?"

"Well, I want to talk to her, of course! An ordinary scientist might say her theory is too far-fetched, but a true genius can see how close she has come to actual time-travel! Do you think it is a coincidence?"

"No. But we cannot trust her, Shuri. That family is cunning, ruthless…"

"Our grandfather trusted Howard Stark, right? And Howard Stark never betrayed Wakanda."

"It was a long time ago. We don't know under what circumstances that happened."

Shuri thought for a moment. Then she came up with an idea. "Maybe we can find out. You went to the Ancestral Plane when you took the Heart-Shaped Herb… Can't you go back and find Grandfather Azzuri?"

"I told you, I am not sure if I have really been there. It could just be a dream for all I know. A side effect of the herb. None of the ancestors spoke to me. And what you are suggesting would be against tradition. I cannot go through that ritual again until I am crowned king."

It was true. The powers granted by the Heart-Shaped Herb would be taken from him during his coronation, and given back afterward. Which meant that he couldn't talk to King Azzuri until… their father's death. Besides, it hadn't seemed like a pleasant experience. Shuri didn't want her brother to go through that again unless he really had to.

She turned Nakia for help, but much to her disappointment, Nakia seemed to be with T'Challa on this. "I don't know, Shuri," she sighed. "People call Tony Stark 'the Merchant of Death,' for a reason. I have seen too many Stark weapons during my missions. Of course they say he was kidnapped, but the Ten Rings is known to possess many of those weapons. Whatever happened in Afghanistan, it must have been an arms deal gone wrong. But now that he is gone, soon, this girl is going to become the new Merchant of Death."

Right. Tony Stark had been kidnapped in Afghanistan. It was what the whole world talked about these days. "Has his death been confirmed?"

Nakia shook her head. "It doesn't matter. No one survives the Ten Rings."

Shuri understood their concerns, she really did. So far, Ana Stark had done nothing that would show that she disapproved of her father's legacy. She was obviously following his footsteps. But Shuri knew that wasn't always going to be the case. "But she was my friend in that future! She was a good person! People can change!"

T'Challa sighed. "Then we will wait until we are sure she is changed… Let's go. Okoye will kill us all if we are late for the wedding."

…

Okoye and W'Kabi's wedding would be held in the Border Tribe region, so everyone had gathered there. Once the royal family arrived, the music began to play. Most of the guests were sitting on the grass outside, but a large tent had been erected for the bride, groom, the royal family, and the Elders.

Okoye and W'Kabi stood up when they saw the King and his family. "My king, my queen, Prince T'Challa, Princess Shuri… Welcome," W'Kabi greeted them.

"We are so happy for you two," Shuri's father said, then presented the wedding gifts. A small vibranium statue of Bast and Sekhmet from the King himself, a golden necklace from the Queen—Okoye would probably never wear it, but she accepted the gift with a gracious smile nevertheless—a leatherbound, handwritten book of ancient Wakandan tales from T'Challa, and a pair of matching high-tech rings from Shuri.

It was strange to see Okoye in this white dress, trimmed with gold and red, instead of her traditional Dora Milaje armor. But then, she probably thought the same about Shuri's outfit.

"Nice corset," she commented.

"Things I do for you, Okoye…"

Aside from the uncomfortable corset, Wakandan weddings were fun. They sang and danced, until Zuri pronounced the couple husband and wife. And then, the feast started. Which was good, because all that singing and dancing had made everyone hungry.

Shuri would tell Okoye and W'kabi about Ana Stark later. Okoye was another supporter Shuri had, though her new husband apparently didn't bother to hide his skepticism. T'Challa had told his best friend why he was really going to Oxford, but W'Kabi had said the "incident" was simply the fantasies of a child who was way too interested in outsiders. At least that was what T'Challa had told her. Still, Shuri liked him well enough. He was T'Challa's best friend, and no doubt he would make Okoye happy.

Shuri didn't think Okoye would be thrilled about this new discovery, though. She was even more skeptical than T'Challa when it came to outsiders.

After the wedding, as they returned home on a flyer, her parents approached Shuri.

"I told them," T'Challa simply said.

"And?" Shuri asked, but she tried not to get too hopeful. Her parents didn't seem pleased.

Her father said, "Your brother is right, that family cannot be trusted. The Starks are irresponsible, and when they are not irresponsible, they are ruthless. I forbid you to contact that girl."

…

Two days after the wedding, Nakia left Wakanda again, for another mission. T'Challa's Kimoyo beads had been turned off that night. Shuri assumed he was somewhere away from the city, away from everyone, brooding, and when she went looking for him, he found him sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking the forest, indeed.

"She will be back, you know. Nakia can handle herself."

T'Challa turned his head to look at her. "Nakia and I… We broke up."

For some reason, Shuri wasn't surprised to hear that. Nakia and T'Challa made a great couple, but well, their relationship was doomed from the start. She came to sit down beside him. "How bad was it?"

"We didn't have a fight. We are still on good terms. Just… not in a relationship."

"Oh. I am sorry, brother."

"Don't be." He put an arm around her shoulders.

Well, she was sorry, indeed. If T'Challa was to have a future queen, Shuri wanted her to be Nakia. She wondered how her father and brother would react when she had a boyfriend. So far, she hadn't met anyone that caught her attention, but one day, she probably would.

"I wish we didn't have to grow up. Everything was much simpler when we were children."

He chuckled mirthlessly. "Perhaps we should rebuild that treehouse."

"Would _Baba_ let us, though?" she asked insinuatingly.

He became serious again. "I know sometimes he is harsh on us, sister, but he is just trying to raise us well."

"I know that. I just feel like we should be doing something, anything, other than watching the world from shadows."

"And we will. If Bast wants us to change the future, the path will reveal itself to us, you will see."

What if it didn't, though? What if that vision came true? Would they meet again in the Ancestral Plane one day, no matter what Thanos did to them? "You don't think you really have been to the Ancestral Plane, do you?"

"No."

" _Baba_ thinks you have."

"Well, I am not him. I certainly saw a place, but it was probably just a hallucination."

"What was the 'place' like?" Shuri had never asked him before. But now, she suddenly wanted to know more.

"Peaceful. Quiet. There were Black Panthers perched on the trees. If it wasn't a hallucination, what do you think it was?"

"It could be another dimension, if the multiverse theory is true."

"No one has been able to prove the multiverse theory right."

"No one has been able to prove it wrong either."

"Why are you suddenly so interested in the Ancestral Plane?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I want to know what will happen to us after we die."

"You are too young to worry about death, little sister."

They sat in silence for a while. From here, Shuri could see where their treehouse had once been. As for the cave… No one had been able to find the Cave of Visions after that night. Not even Shuri herself. Sometimes, she wished Bast had appeared to her when Shuri was a bit older, so that she could have paid more attention to details. Like the path she had followed, the constellations she had seen on that spaceship—that could help her determine in which galaxy that moment took place, at least—or Ana Stark's time machine.

But the conversations were still vivid in her mind. _"I died when Thanos killed my brother anyway."_

She hadn't said anything about her parents, Okoye, Nakia, or anybody else. Had Thanos spared them? Or were they already dead by the time Thanos had killed T'Challa?

Suddenly, her Kimoyo beads beeped. "There has been an update on Tony Stark's situation," Griot said. Shuri had ordered him to keep her updated on the Starks.

"Show me," she said quickly, tapping on one of the beads. A hologram of a press room that was packed with reporters popped up.

"Mr. Stark has returned to the United States. A press conference will start in less than ten minutes."

Shuri and T'Challa exchanged looks. So, Nakia had been wrong about him. She had said no one survived the Ten Rings. Glory to Bast, Nakia had never personally encountered them, but those terrorists had a notorious reputation all around the world.

They waited. Although he would probably never admit it, Shuri could see that even T'Challa's interest had been piqued. Soon, Tony Stark was on the podium, indeed. His one arm was in a sling, there were a few cuts and bruises on his face, but other than that, he seemed fine. Shuri also spotted his business partner, Obadiah Stane—yes, she had done her homework—but Ana Stark was nowhere to be seen. Well, she struck Shuri as a private person anyway. Those who had expected her to become America's next sweetheart must have been very disappointed. She seemed to be living a quiet life. Still, it was hard to hide the fact that you graduated _summa cum laude_ from MIT at the age of 17, with double majors in Physics and Electrical Engineering, especially if your father had done the same before you. As for her theory, it was only popular among scientists for now. The public wouldn't show it any interest until she made time-travel actually possible.

" _Hey, would it be alright if everyone sat down?"_ Tony Stark asked, with a what looked like a cheeseburger in his hand. _"Why don't you just sit down? So that you can see me, and I can… A little less formal and…"_

Shuri giggled. It was a bit funny, to see how the man could make a room of people in fancy business suits just sit down on the floor.

"Shuri," T'Challa said softly. "This man might have had a taste of his own poison, but that doesn't make him a good guy."

" _I never said goodbye to my father,"_ Stark suddenly said, and T'Challa went quiet. _"There's questions I would've asked him. I would've asked him about how he felt about what his company did. If he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts… Or he was every inch the man we knew from the newsreels. I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that was comfortable with zero accountability."_

A reporter asked, _"What happened over there?"_

" _I had my eyes open."_ Stark rose to his feet and returned to the podium. _"I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down weapons manufacturing division of Stark International, until such a time…"_

The reporters went crazy. Shuri flashed her brother a triumphant grin. Stark might be a douchebag, but if only he knew how good his timing was. "You were saying…"

"That was a nice speech. But it doesn't prove anything."

"Really?"

"Shuri, you are the smartest person I have ever known. And I am not just talking about science and technology. Do you honestly believe everyone will be happy about this decision? Their engineers, board members, shareholders, military officials… Do you think they will just let him be?"

"No, but I am sure he knows that, too."

He thought for a moment. "Well, I suppose time will show us how resilient the Starks are."

"Let's call Father," she suggested.

The press conference had ended. Shuri turned off the screen, and called their father instead. Seconds later, his hologram appeared.

"Daughter? Son? Where have you been?"

"Well, T'Challa was brooding on the edge of a cliff, and I was keeping him company." This earned Shuri a death glare from T'Challa. "Have you seen the international news?"

"No. I was meditating. Why? Did something happen?"

"Tony Stark is back."

He frowned, but didn't say anything.

"And he just shut down the weapons manufacturing division of his company."

"Hmm."

Shuri could see that he was sharing the same concerns with T'Challa. She couldn't believe she was actually defending a white boy, but her family had left her no choice. "I know, I know… It won't be that easy, there will be consequences. But if he wins this battle, will you let me contact his daughter?"

"If he does, I will consider it."

"Thank you, _Baba_!"

"Now, take your brother, and come home."

"As you wish," she said, and ended the call. Then she flung her arms around T'Challa's neck.

"Shuri…"

"Yes, brother?"

"Just try not to get too hopeful, alright?"

…

The outcome of this unexpected development regarding the Stark family turned out to be even more unexpected. A few months later after his return, Tony Stark declared himself "Iron Man." This time, Shuri, T'Challa, their parents, Zuri, Okoye, and W'Kabi were watching the press conference in the throne room together. This wasn't the Tribal Council, but rather an inner circle of people who knew about Shuri's vision. An unofficial, secret council. Nakia was the only one missing, and she usually didn't contact anyone from Wakanda during her missions, but Shuri had no doubt she would hear about this as well.

Shuri turned to T'Challa. "Well, brother, it looks like you are no longer the only superhero in the world…"

Okoye rolled her eyes. "Iron Man… It is so primitive."

"The armor itself might be so," Shuri agreed, "But the Arc Reactor… That is actually not bad."

Shuri had read Stark's medical report. The Arc Reactor powered an electromagnet that kept the shrapnel in his chest from penetrating his heart. She didn't know how exactly the Arc Reactor worked, but if her theory was correct, there had to be a superconductor in its core. A group 10 element. Palladium, most likely. She wondered how he protected himself from palladium poisoning. Palladium was toxic for humans, after all. And with the amount he had to use to power something like the Iron Man suit…

"The Princess might be right, my king," W'Kabi said. "I fear the world is finally catching up on us. This is not something we can ignore. Do we have spies at Stark Industries?"

W'Kabi was sometimes even more paranoid than T'Challa. No wonder they were such good friends.

"No," her father replied. "But perhaps we should."

Shuri frowned. "Spies? I thought you would let _me_ contact them if Stark remained true to his word, remember?"

"I said I would consider it. Now I have, and decided that this doesn't mean we can trust them with our secrets. We don't know enough about them."

"Let me go to them, then. Send me to America to observe them more closely. Trust goes both ways, Father. At some point, we are going to have to talk to them. How do you expect them to trust us if they find out we had a spy at their company?"

"Shuri!" T'Challa hissed. "You are not a spy."

"That is exactly the point."

Her mother and father exchanged concerned looks. Then the former said, "Shuri, do we really have to remind you what happened the last time a member of the royal family went to America?"

A grave silence followed this question.

Uncle N'Jobu. He had been killed by African-Americans in California, before Shuri had been born. It was a terrible thing, of course, there was no denying it. But they couldn't let the past determine the future. Because that future was a nightmare.

"Uncle N'Jobu worked among criminals. I will be in a much safer environment."

"What about the girl?" W'Kabi asked. "If she really finds a way to travel to the past, or the future… The consequences might affect all of us. I know Princess Shuri likes her, but it will be safer if we sabotage her research."

"There is no need for that," Shuri said sharply. "She scrapped her research."

They all turned to her. "What?"

"It is true. After she announced that she would no longer be working on her temporal quantum physics project, I took a look at her servers. Her research was gone, indeed."

Her father frowned. "You hacked the Starks' personal servers?"

"They might be good, but I am better," she bragged. "Don't worry, no one even realized I was there."

"Why?" Okoye asked. "Why would she scrap her research?"

"Exactly! Why would she scrap that research? She was so close to making time-travel possible! My theory is that something happened and she got scared."

"But apparently, she had already succeeded in your vision."

"Yes. But was she supposed to make this decision all along, or are we in a different timeline? I might be able to answer that question if I find out what exactly changed her mind. Or, what if she _is_ the time-traveler? We know she was disguised as her teenage self before going back in time…"

"What do you want to do?"

"I can apply for a job at Stark Industries. Or, maybe an internship… I am young enough to be an intern. I am pretty sure soon she will get a position at her father's company. Probably in the R&D department."

"How do you know that?" T'Challa asked.

"I don't. But she seems to have a… pattern. She does everything that is expected of her, and nothing that is not expected of her. Of course, that is just a front. No one's life can be that simple. Especially if you are smart enough to invent time-travel, and your father is a billionaire superhero."

Her father shook his head. "You have become obsessed with this girl, Shuri."

She looked at him in disbelief. "She was in my vision! Of course I am obsessed with her!"

"And what if she doesn't have the answers you seek?"

"Then I will keep seeking them with her."

"We don't need help from outsiders to protect you."

"With all due respect, Father, I think we need allies," T'Challa said, much to everyone's surprise. Then, he went on, "I am not saying it should be her, but someone must go. So, send me instead. I have done this before, I have lived in a foreign country. I can do it again."

"No," Shuri disagreed. "You are too intimidating."

"And you are too young, sister."

She could see that their father was now at least considering the option. Shuri was holding her breath. "Very well," he finally said. "Perhaps this is _your_ path, daughter. I didn't stop T'Challa before. I have no right to stop you either. You might not be a War Dog, but you still need a War Dog's skills if you want to do this. When you are ready, I will send you to America. Your training will start once Nakia returns from her mission. She will be your mentor."

"YES!" Nakia being her mentor… Honestly, she hadn't seen this coming. She went to hug her father. "Thank you, _Baba_! I will not fail you, you will see!"

"Shuri," her mother scolded her. She didn't seem happy at all, but even if she wanted to argue with her husband, she was obviously not going to do it in the presence of the others. "This is not a game. This is a mission. You should take it seriously."

"Oh, I _am_ taking it seriously, Mother. Don't worry."

She sighed. "I hope so…"

Shuri then turned to her brother, who looked appalled. Was it because their father had finally agreed to send her a mission abroad, or because Nakia would train her, which meant that she wouldn't be going anywhere until Shuri's training was completed? Probably both. But like their mother, he didn't argue with the King either.

…

Nakia had said the first thing Shuri needed to learn was, just in case, to handle herself in a fight. So, this was where they started. Shuri was enjoying it, and she was eager to advance, but she knew that no matter how hard she trained, she still needed time to develop muscle memory and better reflexes. One year, at least, according to both Nakia and T'Challa.

In the meantime, they were keeping tabs on the Starks. It didn't take long for Shuri to realize she might have been wrong about Tony Stark's palladium poisoning. She had assumed he had found a cure. But these days, he was acting like an idiot, giving away his stuff, and even making his personal assistant the new CEO. One would think he would act more responsibly after that Senate hearing, and the incident in Monaco. Perhaps he was dying. Slowly and painfully.

Ana Stark was still a mystery, though. Much to everyone's surprise, she had been seen at that hearing, and Shuri had a guess why. Mr. Stark probably couldn't hide his palladium problem from someone who was as smart as her. So, Ana must have wanted to be there with him, as the only person who was aware of the palladium poisoning, in case his condition deteriorated. But after Pepper Potts had become the CEO, she hadn't been seen in public again, which led the tabloid press to assume that she wasn't very happy about it. According to the rumors, Ana Stark and Pepper Potts were the modern Snow White and the Evil Queen. Shuri didn't know how much of these rumors were true.

The rumors were proven false when the two women were seen at shopping together a few days after the attack at the Stark Expo. Shortly afterward, Ana became the Chief Technology Officer of Stark Industries. Shuri's original plan was to apply for an internship at Stark Industries, but when she hacked into the Starks' personal servers again, she realized Ana had applied to a graduate program at NYU.

"It is safer for you to go to New York as a graduate student," Nakia said. "And less suspicious. I don't think someone like you will get rejected, but just to be safe, apply to the same program as soon as you can. Of course, we need your father's approval first."

"I will speak to him tonight," she said, but she was now a bit nervous. So, it was really happening…

"What is wrong?" Of course, it hadn't escaped Nakia's notice.

"Are you sure I am ready for this?"

Nakia smirked. "What happened to your confidence, Princess?"

"Nothing happened to my confidence. It is just… All my life, I have lived in Wakanda. I had no reason to lie to anybody, until now. What if I screw this up?"

Nakia put her hands on Shuri's shoulders. "Look, your family is worried about you. And it is understandable. Put yourself in their place. King T'Chaka lost a brother to Americans. He doesn't want to lose a daughter as well. And T'Challa grew up with the stories of how Prince N'Jobu died. You just have to play a game to prove that these people can be trusted. To put your parents' and brother's minds at ease."

"What is your point?"

"My point is, it is usually our guilt that betrays us when we lie. If you keep in mind that you are doing what you have to do for the greater good, that might help."

"Is that what you do during your missions?"

She smiled. "Yes. And unlike most of my missions, yours doesn't require you to be a completely different person. You are still a princess of Wakanda, who wants to study abroad. You will be using an alias for safety, but you will tell your new friend who you really are. You will just keep some of the truth from her, until you are sure she is trustworthy. And your friendship doesn't have to be a lie either. You are curious about this girl."

She chuckled mirthlessly. "I am, but my family is not very happy about it."

"You are a lonely child, Shuri. You want a friend who won't get nervous around you. Someone who would see you as an equal. You cannot find the friend you seek in Wakanda."

"T'Challa has, though. He has found W'Kabi. And you."

"It is not just your royal status that intimidates people. It is also your genius. Most people fear what they don't understand. I bet the Stark girl is having similar problems."

"I don't know. Unlike her father, she doesn't reveal much about herself. What if she doesn't want any friends? She is basically what Americans call an 'ice queen.'"

Nakia was right. Shuri really wanted to be friends with this girl. And she would be very disappointed if she got rejected.

"Or maybe, she is just a shy person who didn't choose to be born to a celebrity father."

"I hope you are right."

"Let's take a closer look at this family. Show me everything you have been able to find about them."

Soon, they were surrounded by various holograms. Some of the old pictures and videos of Tony Stark were not things you would want to see with your brother's ex, so Shuri swiped them away quickly.

"Hmm," Nakia said, studying a picture of the Starks, one must have been taken right after the Senate hearing. "They actually remind me of you and T'Challa."

"Don't let T'Challa hear that." She wondered what T'Challa and Tony Stark could possibly have in common, aside from being fabulously rich superheroes.

"But it is true. I mean, just look at them. These two share a special bond, just like the one you and T'Challa share. Someone who is capable of such love cannot be so bad."

"And you can tell it by looking at a single picture?" T'Challa, who had appeared out of nowhere, broke in. He had a habit of sneaking up on people.

Nakia shrugged. "I am simply interpreting their body language."

"And how do you interpret _this_ , then?" He tapped on his Kimoyo bead, and revealed a picture of Tony Stark, shaking hands with Ulysses Klaue. It looked like the picture had been taken in a casino.

"Everybody deserves a second chance," Nakia defended Stark. Indeed, her opinion of him had completely changed after he had returned from Afghanistan. "So far, Stark has been using his well."

"On that we agree," T'Challa relented. T'Challa and Nakia might have broken up, but they were still flirting.

"Why are you here, brother?"

He ruffled her hair. "Maybe I just missed my little sister."

Shuri rolled her eyes.

"Alright, there is something I want to show you," he admitted. "Our spies report an increase in the number of enhanced individuals in America. SHIELD has been very busy lately. This one was recorded in Harlem, for example. Take a look."

He showed them a video of two giant human-like creatures terrorizing the streets of Harlem.

Nakia gasped. "What the…"

"That is not all. Captain Steve Rogers has also been found in ice. He is still alive." This time, he showed them the pictures of a blond man in the Captain America costume, partially covered in ice. And his vibranium shield.

"And last, but not the least, this was recorded in New Mexico."

Another blond man. This one's hair was longer, though, and he was wearing a long red cloak. He had a hammer in his hand, and was fighting a metallic automaton that could shoot energy blasts from its face. The blond man was what a superhero from a medieval fantasy world would look like.

"His name is Thor," T'Challa simply said. He didn't have to say anything else.

Shuri and Nakia gaped at him. Thor. Loki's brother.

"Is he still… around?" Nakia asked, her voice full of hope.

"No. No one has seen him, or heard from him since this incident in New Mexico."

"Didn't Elliot Randolph say the Asgardians would come to us?" Shuri cried. Suddenly, she was so angry. Angry that an Asgardian had been to New Mexico, for whatever reason, instead of coming here to Wakanda.

"He said Heimdall would let Odin know if it was important enough. And someone would pay us a visit."

"Maybe this Heimdall isn't as powerful as Randolph thinks," T'Challa said. "Maybe he doesn't see what we have been dealing with here."

"Or maybe, they don't care." Shuri clenched her fists angrily. Being ignored like this was almost suffocating. Didn't they realize what was at stake here? She could now see why her father didn't like having to rely on others for help.

"Sister," he said softly, and pulled her into a hug. "I didn't want you to go to America at first, but now I see why you must do it. The world is becoming a different place, and I don't think any of it is coincidence. Asgard doesn't know about our struggles, or they simply don't care. Either way, the Stark girl is the only clue we have left right now."

"And what if she doesn't care either?" Shuri asked, but deep down, she knew that wasn't going to be the case. Someone who was so interested in time couldn't simply ignore a warning from the future.

"Then when Thanos appears, we will take care of ourselves, as we have always done. But until then, we will keep seeking allies." His voice was so full of his usual confidence and determination that it instantly helped Shuri find hers.

"Nakia and I decided that I should apply to a graduate program at NYU. The same one Ana Stark has also applied. "

"Good plan," T'Challa said. "Cheer up, little sister. You are going to have so much fun in New York."


	5. Chapter 5

Meeting Ana Stark was even easier than Shuri had thought it would be. Like Nakia had said, people feared what they didn't understand. Apparently, group projects were still a thing in grad school, and everyone in the class was too intimidated by the Stark heiress to work with her. Well, everyone except Shuri. So, she used the opportunity to approach her. Soon, she realized unlike her father, Ana was not arrogant at all. On the contrary, she could definitely use more self-confidence. The third member of their group was a guy named Diego, and he seemed more than happy to just do whatever the two girls told him to do, and be done with his part of the project.

It took a month for them to finish the project—mostly because Shuri had taken her time to drag this out and spend more time with Ana—but after a long Thursday afternoon in the library, they were officially done.

"Finally," Diago said, yawning. "I hate group projects… No offense."

"None taken," Shuri said.

He got on his feet. "Alright, then. Ana, Leia, see you next week."

"See you," Shuri said, grinning. _Leia Charles_. T'Challa had studied at Oxford as Luke Charles. Shuri had insisted that she should be Leia Charles here. The joke was just too good to resist.

"Bye," Ana said quickly, grabbing her purse, but paused when she realized Shuri had been staring at her.

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow night?" Shuri asked.

The question seemed to have puzzled her. Gods, she really wasn't used to socializing. "Uhm, no, not really. Why?"

"I want to catch a glimpse of the famous New York nightlife, and hopefully you can be my guide."

"Yeah, the only problem is, neither of us is 21."

"Seriously? You are Ana Stark, for crying out loud! Surely you can get us into a club. Besides, we don't have to drink. I don't even like the taste of alcohol. I just like… seeing new places."

"I don't even know which places are more likely to take bribes. Sorry."

"Please?" Shuri insisted.

Ana thought for a moment. "Well, I guess I can always ask the best nightlife expert I know."

"Who?"

"My dad, of course."

"Are you sure he won't be mad?"

"Are you kidding me? This is the first time I'm ever doing anything like this. He's going to be proud."

Shuri chuckled. "Great! Come, I want to show you something."

They went to the parking lot together. It was now time to impress Ana with some Wakandan tech. Shuri had seen a few of Ana's cars, but Ana had never seen hers. Until now.

"Wow," she said, gawking at the custom-built black car. Even if they didn't know it was made of vibranium, one could tell that there was something different about it by just looking at the unique aerodynamic design. Shuri purposefully hadn't bothered to be subtle with this one.

"The top speed is 518 mph."

Ana gave her a skeptical look. "That's not possible. The fastest car in the world in the world is Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, and its top speed is 267 mph."

"That's because I didn't design Veyron Super Sport."

"Even if the engine is powerful enough for that, how do you handle the road-tire friction?"

"Well, we all have professional secrets."

"Who is your manufacturer?"

"My father has… resources. Why? Do you need a manufacturer for your designs?"

"Not me. My dad's been working on a new design these days. It's going to be the first Stark Industries Super Car. He wants to work with Acura, says they're good at fulfilling custom orders."

"Speaking of, you were going to ask him a question," Shuri reminded.

"I'll talk to him first, and then get back to you. Is that cool?"

"Awesome! Tell you what, if we have fun tomorrow, I'll let you borrow my car some time. You can test its limits yourself."

"Thanks, but I'm not exactly a need-for-speed type of girl."

"No? What about your dad's suits? Don't tell me you've never tried them out?"

She shook her head.

"Really?" Shuri cried. "No joyrides?"

"Nope."

"You're unbelievable," she complained. Indeed, Ana might be a decent person, but she was so boring sometimes. Who would miss the opportunity to fly? Well, flying wasn't such a big deal in Wakanda. Most people got their pilot's license as soon as they turned sixteen. But Shuri knew that wasn't the case in the rest of the world.

"See you tomorrow," Ana said, and made for her own car.

…

The next day, Ana texted her the address of a very exclusive nightclub here in Manhattan. T'Challa had bought her a penthouse, saying dorms wouldn't give her the privacy she would need. She knew Ana had a temporary place in Manhattan as well, not very far from the Stark Tower, which was still in construction.

"Did it really have to be a nightclub?" Shuri heard T'Challa complain while she tried to decide what to wear. "Couldn't you just take her to shopping or something?"

"Relax, we'll be fine. Besides, I really don't want to wait until I'm 21 to see a New York nightclub."

"I really shouldn't have sent you there alone."

"Too bad, you already have."

"You realize I can be there in a matter of hours, right, little sister?"

Shuri stuck her tongue at him.

"I know you can handle yourself. It is just… It is easy to get distracted on a mission like this."

"Speaking from experience?"

"Shuri!"

She giggled. "Where is Nakia?"

"On yet another mission."

Right. Now that Shuri's training had been completed, Nakia had no reason to stay in Wakanda.

Eventually, she decided to wear a pair of metallic silver leggings, black boots, and a crop top. And she took a long, hooded faux fur coat, because this city was too damn cold. She said goodbye to T'Challa, and ended the call. She got dressed and put her Kimoyo beads back in the safe—like her brother would do in England—before leaving the apartment.

When she saw Ana, she realized she, too, had been dressed for the occasion, but she still seemed anxious. They said clothes could boost one's confidence, but Shuri now doubted it. If that were the case, how could someone like Ana—everything she owned was designer, for Bast's sake—could still be so self-conscious?

"I can't believe you're really making me do this," Ana said nervously under her breath, looking at the bouncers as they approached the entrance.

"You worry too much."

Indeed, Ana didn't even have to do anything. "Welcome, Ms. Stark," one of the bouncers said when he saw them, and regarded Shuri with a respectful nod. "Ms. Charles."

When they entered, a waiter took them to their table in a relatively quiet corner—at least they could have a conversation without having to shout at each other—and took their orders. Both Ana and Shuri were hungry, so they decided to eat something first.

Once they were alone, Ana released a deep breath of relief. "That was easy."

"Your father takes his fun very seriously."

"That he does. Speaking of, he's cool with this, but if you ever meet Pepper one day, we've never been here, okay? Or she'll kill both me and Dad."

"Understood." Shuri assumed Ms. Potts was a force to be reckoned with if the both Starks were scared of her so much.

…

The food was delicious, the music was good, and Shuri had even met a cute boy. Nothing could come out of it, of course, but at least it was fun to casually flirt with someone. He had been gentleman enough to give Shuri his number, instead of asking for hers, but she wasn't going to call him. He was cute, yes, but not _that_ cute.

Another guy had tried to buy Ana a drink, but she had made it clear that she wasn't interested. He hadn't insisted, thankfully, but Shuri assumed it was because he was afraid that Ana would make a scene, not because he was a gentleman. The poor girl had suddenly become so uncomfortable that Shuri almost regretted dragging her here.

"Is my dress too short?" she asked Shuri.

"No, it is not. Even if it were, it doesn't mean you owe men anything."

"I know that. It's just… I don't want anyone to find me sexually attractive."

"And what if _you_ find them attractive?"

"That's the thing… I don't."

"Really?" she asked, genuinely curious. "No one?"

"Nope. I just don't enjoy sex, or any sort of physical intimacy, to be honest. And before you ask, yes, I've tried sex. More than once."

Something in her voice gave Shuri the impression that she had only "tried" so that she could defend herself like this. It was kind of sad. Well, Shuri was a virgin, but unlike Ana, she had never been in a hurry to change that.

"Well, not everyone enjoys sex, I guess. But don't you ever get… lonely? Emotionally, I mean?"

She shrugged. "It doesn't bother me. It's not even worth the trouble."

"Trouble? Did something happen?"

"The last guy I dated was a Stark fanboy. When I refused to introduce him to my dad, he called me a frigid slut."

Shuri's face wrinkled in disgust. "Frigid slut? Even from a misogynistic point of view, that's an oxymoron."

"I know, right? But even when the guys were nice, it made no difference. So, I stopped trying to change who I am. Besides, I'm far too busy to worry about such things now. Still, no one else knows something's wrong with me. Can we keep this between us?"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with you, but okay. And if it's going to help you feel better, I can give you a secret of my own."

"Are you going to tell me what your tires are made of?"

"Something even better. I'm going to tell you who I really am."

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Shuri laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you or anything. My father isn't a British businessman working in Zimbabwe. He is the King of Wakanda. My real name is Shuri."

"Wakanda?" She gave her a brief _"So, you design luxury cars while your people live in poverty?"_ look, but didn't say anything. Well, that was the reaction Shuri had expected from any decent person.

"Yes. Our father wanted me and my brother to see the world. T'Challa had a Ph.D at Oxford, but I wanted an adventure in New York."

"Wow, I had no idea I was in the presence of royalty."

"How does it feel?" she teased.

"Very humbling," Ana replied, but Shuri couldn't tell if she was serious, or just joking.

"Our grandfathers met once, you know…"

"Really?" she asked, obviously intrigued. "How?"

"Don't tell me you've never heard of Captain America's vibranium shield…"

"Of course I have."

"Where do you think he got the vibranium from? Howard Stark led an expedition into Wakanda, and King Azzuri decided to give him some of our vibranium as a sign of good faith. Your grandfather honored the promise he made, and told everyone that it was the last of the vibranium in the whole world."

"What happened to the rest of it?"

"A black-market arms dealer named Ulysses Klaue stole all we had. Killed a lot of people on his way out as well. He has escaped my father's pursuits since then."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I hope you won't tell anyone about this. About who I really am."

"Yeah, of course. I wish I could lie about who I am as well, but everyone knows my face."

"You can tell your family, of course. I have no right to force you to lie to them. But please, no one else." _So begins the test_ , she thought to herself.

"My dad usually has a big mouth, but don't worry. Another thing he takes very seriously is security concerns."

The man who had wanted to buy Ana a drink was still ogling at her. He was trying to be subtle, but he wasn't doing a very good job at it. Thankfully, Ana hadn't noticed… Yet. "It's getting late," Shuri said casually. "Perhaps we should leave."

"I thought you were enjoying yourself?"

"I was, but I didn't know nightlife could be so exhausting."

"Alright. I'll just go to the bathroom first."

"Okay."

After she left, Shuri pursed her lips angrily and decided to have a word with that creep. But before she could move, another man approached the creep and told him something. He suddenly went very pale, paid his bill, and left the place immediately. The other guy who had obviously threatened him looked like a professional bodyguard in disguise of a customer. Gods, Mr. Stark took security concerns _very_ seriously, indeed.

When Ana returned and they left the nightclub, Shuri decided to tell her about the bodyguard in disguise. But she didn't seem surprised at all.

"I don't blame him. We have too many enemies."

 _You have no idea_ , Shuri thought.

Ana took a deep breath as soon as they stepped outside. "I need some fresh air."

"Me, too, I think," Shuri realized. They hadn't drunk, but the loud and dim atmosphere of the club had made them drowsy nevertheless. "Let's take a walk."

"Yeah, good idea."

They walked in silence for some time, while Shuri carefully planned her next words. "My father is not as evil as some believe."

Ana narrowed her eyes, but she seemed to have understood why Shuri had said that. "I'm sure he's not. Besides, I'm in no position to judge."

"What did you think of your father's business? Before Afghanistan, I mean?"

"It would be a lie if I said it bothered me. I'd accepted things as they were. The world wasn't a nice place, and people would kill each other, with or without Dad's weapons. Sometimes I'm cruel like that."

"So, you don't approve of this new direction…"

"I do. I approve of everything he does."

So, she wasn't a bad person, but she didn't have opinions of her own either. If Mr. Stark woke up one morning and decided to go evil, Ana would support that decision as well. Shuri was a bit disappointed, to say the least.

"What about your father?" Ana suddenly asked. "He sounds like a supportive guy."

"Oh, he is. But my brother, T'Challa… He is my biggest supporter. We were inseparable when we were children. I love all of my family, of course, but T'Challa and I share a special bond." Shuri sighed. Talking about T'Challa had made her realize how much she had missed him. She was still genuinely enjoying her New York adventure, but now that most of her curiosity about the outside world had been satisfied, she was starting to get homesick.

"Is he a scientist, too?"

"No. He is more of a warrior. And I like designing his… equipment."

"Well, I'm sure he enjoys the cars you design for him…"

"Trust me, the car is nothing, compared to my jet."

"Your jet? Can you fly it?"

Shuri nodded. "I'm pretty good at it."

"Is it back in Wakanda?"

"No, it's here. But that's a secret as well."

"Where do you keep such a big secret?"

"On my roof. It's not too big."

Ana laughed.

"Would you like to see it?"

"Now?"

"Yes. But it would be nice if I revealed it in a more… secluded area."

Ana thought for a moment. "I think I know the perfect place. Follow me."

…

The place Ana was talking about a mansion on Long Island. She took out a key from her purse, and unlocked the heavy, iron wrought gates, and led Shuri into the huge garden. The garden was well-kept, Shuri observed. And there were no neighboring houses. Excellent.

"Do you come here often?"

"Not really," she said, but Shuri had a feeling that Ana occasionally visited this place. Why else would she be carrying the keys with her? "This was my grandparents' mansion. My dad doesn't like this house much, or rather, the road that he needs to use to get here. But he doesn't want to sell it either."

"The accident," Shuri recalled.

"This is where he found me, you know. Someone left me on that doorstep, and then vanished."

"So, you _really_ don't know who your mother is…"

"No."

"I thought you grew up in California."

"I did. Dad says we moved to Malibu when I was two… Anyway, you can summon your jet here."

"I already have." She used her phone to deactivate the cloaking mode, so the Royal Talon Flyer appeared before them.

Ana's mouth hung open in awe. "This is awesome…"

Shuri smiled, then took her inside the jet. Ana examined the control panel for some time, then checked out the cloaking tech, the navigation and surveillance systems and even the 3D maps.

"You made all these by yourself?"

"Yes," she lied. She had made many upgrades by herself, true, but on the tech Wakandans had been using for centuries. She couldn't take all the credit.

"Your father has some resources, indeed…" Ana muttered thoughtfully, but didn't ask anything.

"I'm glad you like it… Well, are you going to stay here, or shall I give you a ride back to Manhattan?"

"I think I'm going to spend the night here. Tell you what, we can have a sleepover if you want."

"Sure, why not?"

They got out of the jet, and this time Ana unlocked the front door of the mansion. Like the garden, the house itself was well-kept, too. Even if Mr. Stark didn't come here anymore, he surely wouldn't leave the house to rot. Still, there was some spookiness about it.

"This reminds me of those cheesy American horror movies," she laughed.

Ana laughed, too, and stood before the portraits of Howard and Maria Stark. "Well, it would actually be nice if we saw Grandpa Stark's ghost. I got some questions for him."

"What sort of questions?"

"Nothing," she said evasively. "Just a few things about business."

When Ana lent her a set of pajamas, Shuri concluded that Ana had definitely been here before. But Ana hadn't asked her where she found the money for her super vehicles, so Shuri didn't ask her what she had been doing here either.

…

Soon, sleepovers became a frequent activity. Shuri learned a lot more about Ana. She, too, had learned how to read and write when she was three. Her father had said no school could handle her, and decided to homeschool her himself. He wasn't an irresponsible and neglectful father like some thought he was. Considering her father's reputation, she had had a surprisingly idyllic childhood. But when Ana was 12, he had sent her away to a boarding school, fearing that his playboy lifestyle might be a bad influence on her, while Ana had simply assumed he had grown tired of fatherhood. That was why she had never said anything while the other students bullied her relentlessly.

Before meeting Ana, Shuri had assumed the Stark family was the closest thing to American royalty. She had been wrong. Your people being formal and distanced around you was one thing, but at least no one in Wakanda would dare bully Shuri like those students had bullied Ana.

Nakia's assumption that Stark Industries had been selling the Ten Rings weapons was wrong as well. It was Obadiah Stane's doing. He had tried to kill the Starks, twice. And he hadn't died on a plane crash. That was a cover-up story SHIELD had come up with.

As for Ana, she seemed to have realized Wakanda was more than just a third-world country, but she didn't ask anything about it. Soon, the second stage of the test would reveal if she was truly trustworthy. Shuri was hopeful, though. It was Shuri's family who expected Ana to fail.

Once the new Stark Tower construction was finished, Shuri was the first one to be given a tour. Unfortunately, she couldn't see the Arc Reactor in action. The transmission lines that connected to the general electricity network were deep underwater, and Ana didn't have the right equipment to cut them off—and by "right equipment," she meant an Iron Man suit—so they were going to have to wait until Mr. Stark came to New York before the tower could start relying solely on self-sustaining energy.

Ana and Shuri were in an evening class when Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts arrived. Shuri wondered if Ana would leave early, but she didn't. Shuri wished she had. When she had applied for the graduate school, she hadn't guessed how boring it would actually be. There was nothing these teachers could teach her she didn't already know. And because she knew she would be flying to Wakanda tonight, she was growing restless with each second. But before flying to Wakanda, she had to go to the Stark Tower with Ana first.

 _It is all part of the plan_ , she reminded herself.

She looked out of the classroom window, and realized the STARK name was glowing blue on the top of the tower. So, the building had officially been opened, then. She poked Ana with a pen. When she did, Ana looked out, and started toying with her necklace. It was her grandmother's necklace, and her dad had given it to Ana.

"Daddy's little girl," she whispered, but she couldn't really blame her. Ana had spent the last Christmas in Malibu, but hadn't seen her father again since then. She had been too busy with both grad school and work.

Ana stuck out her tongue at Shuri.

Once the class was finally dismissed, Ana invited her to the tower. Shuri hadn't even needed to ask.

Now, all she had to do was to have a pleasant chat with Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts, then call her jet and fly to Wakanda.

And leave her vibranium car at their garage.

Shuri, T'Challa, and their parents had decided that this should be the test. If no one touched the car until Shuri returned, then it meant that the Starks knew to respect other people's secrets.

As the elevator took them to the penthouse, JARVIS said Ms. Potts had already left for Washington DC. Shuri liked JARVIS. Unlike Griot, JARVIS seemed to have a personality of his own. He could be the closest thing to an actual AI in the whole world.

"Is this a bad time?" Shuri asked her.

Ana shrugged. "Maybe Pepper is just being a workaholic."

When they reached the penthouse, Mr. Stark was waiting for them. Even if he had a fight with his girlfriend, he was showing no signs of it. "You are a sight for sore eyes, young lady," he told Ana, and hugged her

"Sorry, Dad. I had a class."

"I know." He stroked her hair gently, then turned his attention to Shuri. "You must be that princess from Wakanda…"

"Shuri."

He shook her hand. "Tony."

She flung herself down on a couch, and took out her phone. "You guys wouldn't mind if I used your landing pad, would you?"

"For what?" he asked curiously, taking a seat across from her, next to Ana, and put an arm around her shoulders. It hadn't escaped Shuri's notice that he had hidden a folder under his desk before joining them. A folder with a SHIELD logo on it. Shuri knew Mr. Stark was a consultant to SHIELD. And Ana was preparing to join their Academy. There were three SHIELD Academies: Communications, Operations, and Sci-Tech. Naturally, Ana had been recommended for the last one. But like all cadets, she needed to get her Ph.D to enter. Shuri was actually impressed that they weren't making an exception for anyone, not even the grandchild of their founder. As for T'Challa, he hadn't been very happy to hear that the Starks were working with SHIELD.

"I have no classes for the rest of the week, so I thought I could pay my family a visit." It wasn't just an excuse anymore. Seeing Ana with her father like this had suddenly made Shuri want to be with her family. Especially with T'Challa.

Indeed, Stark was looking at his daughter like she was the most precious thing in the universe. And she had never seen Ana so… relaxed before. Like she had suddenly let down all her guards and bared her true self. Shuri wondered if this was how she and T'Challa looked like from other people's point of view as well. Probably.

"Well, make yourself at home. It's a relatively small pad, though, will it be okay for the pilot?"

"She's the pilot, Dad."

"What's the point of building a jet if you don't get to fly it yourself?"

Mr. Stark nodded. "I like you."

"I have a question… Is it true that Ana has never tried out one of your suits? Like, ever?"

"She's afraid of heights."

"Is there anything she is _not_ afraid of?"

"Seriously? You guys met like ten seconds ago, and you're already teaming up against me? I kind of feel betrayed here…"

"You are still my favorite American, don't worry."

"Hey, no complaints on my part," her father said, then turned to Shuri. "So, your brother studied at Oxford, right?"

"Yes. Quantum physics."

"You could've studied at Oxford as well. Or, Cambridge, MIT, Harvard, or any of the Ivy League schools, really… Why New York?"

"I watched too many American movies, I guess. I blame my father."

He laughed. "And how do you like New York so far?"

"I'm not disappointed. It is Ana who hates this city."

"Yeah, that's on me," he admitted.

"It doesn't have to do anything with the boarding school, Dad. Not anymore, at least. It's just too crowded, too loud, too polluted here."

"It is one of the most famous cities in the world. Of course it is going to be loud and crowded. _The City That Never Sleeps_ , you Americans call it, right?"

Ana shrugged. "That's not what I need from a city. I'm not really a party animal."

"I figured that out a long time ago."

"Yeah, she's such a buzzkill sometimes. You'll get used to it," Mr. Stark said, and Ana playfully punched his arm.

"And as for the pollution, I believe you guys are working on that…"

He nodded again. "Have you seen the Arc Reactor?"

"Yes, Ana gave me a tour last week. Speaking of the Arc Reactor, when will your new element be added to the periodic table?"

"As soon as I get a patent for 'Badassium.' Damn, it's harder than I thought it would be…"

"You're going to have to settle for 'Starkium' in the end," Ana said.

"Come on, kid, do you really think I'll give up so easily?"

Shuri rose to her feet. "Well, I think I should be going…"

"Where's your ride, though?" he asked, looking around. Poor Mr. Stark. Shuri and Ana smiled at each other, then the former revealed the Royal Talon waiting outside.

His eyes widened in awe. "Okay, I'm impressed…"

"Goodbye, Mr. Stark," Shuri said, and went out to the balcony, with Ana trailing behind her.

"You know, it's not easy to make my dad jealous…"

"I know. But he's cool. I like him. I hope you meet my family one day… In Wakanda."

"I thought it was hard to get a visa."

"Yeah, I'm working on that."

"Look, Shuri, I'd love to visit your home, but I don't want you to get into any trouble because of me."

"Our grandfathers trusted each other once. I think we should do that again."

"Do you want me to lead an expedition, like Grandpa Stark did?"

Shuri wasn't sure what to say at first. Ana was her friend now; she didn't want to lie to her. But she had also promised her family that she wasn't going to reveal their secrets until she passed the test. "Something like that."

Ana hugged her. "Take care, Princess."

"You, too, colonizer."

…

Wakanda's protective dome was so realistic that one could never really get used to the thrill of passing through it. It actually reminded Shuri of the illusion spell Sigyn had used on Ana, but there was no equipment to explain what exactly Sigyn had done. She had simply done it by speaking a few foreign words. Similarly, the structure of the Berserker Staff was too advanced to be reverse engineered, though Shuri still worked on the scans T'Challa had sent her from time to time, as a little side project. She sometimes wondered if Asgardians themselves called their technology science, or magic.

When she emerged from the jet, Shuri found her parents and T'Challa waiting for her. She went to her father first.

" _Baba_ …"

"Welcome home, daughter."

She hugged her mother next.

"I missed you so much, Shuri," she said, then stepped back to take a good look at her. "You grow up so fast…"

"Thanks, Mother," she said, and then hugged T'Challa. She held him so tight that he winced at first, but then laughed. "What? Are you going to cry?"

Shuri kicked his shin before releasing him. It was nice to know that she was one of the few people who could hit the Black Panther and get away with it. "You wish."

"Shuri!" their mother scolded her. "Be nice to your brother. He missed you."

"I am not the only one, Mother," T'Challa said, looking at Okoye. The general winked at Shuri, slammed her spear on the ground to dismiss the rest of the Dora Milaje, and joined the royal family. Apparently the King wanted her to hear what Shuri had to say.

"Did you do it?" he asked as they made their way into the palace.

"Yes, Father. I left the car in the Stark Tower's garage. If anyone touches it, I'll receive a notification."

"And if they do, are you sure they won't be able to learn anything from it?" Okoye asked.

"Relax, Okoye. The self-charging particles of the car paint function like an electric fence. I developed the formula specifically for this mission." She was feeling a bit guilty about it, but at least the voltage of the shock would be very low, causing nothing but discomfort.

"What was Mr. Stark like?" her father asked this time. "And his girlfriend?"

"He can be really nice when he wants to be. And I think he is happy that his daughter finally has a friend. As for Ms. Potts, she wasn't at the tower by the time we got there. She'd left early for Washington DC."

"Do you know why?"

"Mr. Stark didn't look like someone who had had a fight with his girlfriend, and Ana thought she was being a workaholic, but Stark must have been reading a SHIELD file before we came. He tried to hide the file from me, but I saw it."

"Do you think something is going on? Perhaps he was worried about her safety?" T'Challa asked. "Perhaps that was why he sent her out of the city?"

"If that is the case, he will probably send Ana away, too."

Their mother sighed thoughtfully. "Whatever that was about, I am glad you are here, Shuri. New York is a dangerous place."

"Don't worry, Mother, it is not as dangerous as it is in the movies _Baba_ watches. I mean, it is not like the city will be invaded by aliens… Yet."


	6. Chapter 6

One of T'Challa and Shuri's favorite activities together was getting lost in the streets of the Golden City. When they were children, they would often give the Dora who had been assigned to watch over them a lot of trouble with their attempts to elude them. Back then, _Birnin Zana_ would look like a huge maze. Now they knew every corner and every street, every shop and every landmark.

He could see that Shuri had missed Wakanda. In fact, she didn't look like she wanted to go back to New York. At first, he had had his reservations, but now he had concluded that sending Shuri to America was the right thing to do. The only way to put an end to a genius' curiosity was to let her satisfy it. Shuri had met outsiders, lived with them, and experienced their culture first hand. And now, she seemed to have a better understanding of her place in the world as a princess of Wakanda. She might not have realized it yet, but as her brother, T'Challa had noticed the difference.

"Let's buy something to eat," he suggested.

"I am not really hungry yet. We can eat when we get home."

"We are not going home. I have a surprise for you."

"What surprise?"

He smirked. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you now, would it?"

He bought two bunny chows from a street vendor, and some snacks for later, as they used to do before heading to the treehouse when they were children. At the end of the street, there was a narrow path leading to the forest. When they reached the beginning of the path, he turned around and gestured the Dora who had been trailing behind them to be dismissed.

Shuri's eyes had already narrowed in suspicion. "Why are we going into the forest?"

"You will see why."

After a roughly ten minute walk, they were standing before a treehouse.

Shuri gasped. T'Challa didn't know how much she remembered, but he had built this new treehouse in the same spot where the old one had once been. And he had done his best to make it look like the original one.

"You built this without me?"

"You really don't know how to appreciate thoughtfulness, little sister."

"Don't be ridiculous," she said beaming at him, and flung her arms around his neck. "Thank you."

"I am glad you like it."

"You have been putting up an admirable effort to make me cry since I came home. I am impressed."

He chuckled, and ruffled her hair. "Come on, let's go up inside."

T'Challa had already brought bedrolls, blankets, flameless candles, board games to pass time, and a pair of daggers and spears, just in case. They decided to play chess.

"So, does _Baba_ know about this place?" she suddenly asked while T'Challa was pondering his next move.

"Of course he does."

"And he doesn't mind?"

"It was actually his idea," he admitted.

"He hopes Bast will appear again, doesn't he?"

Sometimes she was too smart for her own good. "Yes."

"I am surprised you agreed. You have never been the spiritual type."

"Neither have you."

"I am a scientist, brother. I deal with facts. Bast appeared to me in this forest twelve years ago. She wanted me to see a vision of that future. That is a fact. Now I have to find out why and how it happened."

"I am planning to pay Elliot Randolph another visit. Last time, I went easy on him, but we are wasting precious time."

"What are you planning to do?"

"Asgardians have been before. Recently. If they can come to us, that means—"

"—We can go to them."

Finally, he decided to move one of his knights.

"Bold move, brother. Even for you." T'Challa wasn't sure if she was talking about the game.

The game, as usual, ended with Shuri's victory, and then they decided to go to sleep. Shuri dozed off quickly, but for some reason, T'Challa lay awake for a long time, watching his little sister. He remembered the day she had been born. T'Challa and his father had waited for nearly six hours before a nurse had emerged from the door with a little bundle in her arms. His father had taken the bundle first, then gave her to T'Challa. T'Challa had never felt so protective of anyone or anything before that moment. Perhaps he had felt it somehow, that something was destined to come for her. For all of them. Could it be possible?

T'Challa didn't remember when was the last time he had prayed. But suddenly, he found himself praying to Bast. To help him. To show him the right path. To give him a sign. To do anything, really.

He was in that place between sleep and wakefulness when his Kimoyo beads beeped. He shot up in the bedroll, and answered the call. Shuri stirred, but didn't wake up.

It was their father.

" _Baba_?"

"Where is Shuri?" he asked hastily.

"She is asleep," T'Challa replied, confused.

"Wake her up. And turn on the international news."

T'Challa shook Shuri awake. "Sister, wake up. Something is going on."

"Hmm?" She rubbed her eyes, then froze when she saw their father's hologram. "Father?"

"Just turn on the news," he repeated gravely.

As Shuri forced herself to a sitting position, T'Challa tapped on another bead. All international news channels were abuzz with the same flash news:

"LOKI OF ASGARD" CAPTURED IN STUTTGART, GERMANY

Somebody's cell phone had captured a video of Loki. He was a sinister-looking, dark-haired, pale man in green-and-gold robes, with a horned golden helmet on his head. He was walking among a bunch of people who were on their knees.

" _You were made to be ruled,"_ he said. _"In the end, you will always kneel."_

An elderly man slowly stood up. _"Not to men like you."_

" _There are no men like me."_

" _There are always men like you."_

Loki pointed his staff at him. _"Look to your elder, people. Let him be an example."_

He was about to kill the elderly man when Captain America showed up and saved him. The blast Loki had shot from the staff had bounced back from the vibranium shield and hit Loki himself instead. Soon, a SHIELD quinjet and Iron Man himself joined the fight. The video ended with Loki apprehended and taken into the quinjet.

Shuri shook her head. "I don't understand. Loki was supposed to be on our side."

"No. We _assumed_ he would be on our side because of his wife. Obviously, we were wrong."

"Still, this doesn't make any sense. In that vision, Loki had been killed by Thanos, which meant that he must have died fighting for us… Why would he declare war on humans?"

"Have you ever heard of a hunter being hunted?"

She let out a disappointed sigh. "There goes another possible ally…"

"Well, at least we know vibranium works against alien weapons," he said to cheer her up, but it didn't help much.

Another call. This time from Nakia. "Have you seen what happened in Germany?" she asked, panting.

"Yes. I thought of calling you, but wasn't sure if it was a good time."

"Trust me, it is not."

T'Challa frowned, trying not to worry too much. _She is a War Dog_ , he reminded himself. _Danger is a part of her job_. She didn't need his protection. "Are you in trouble?"

Nakia smirked. "Nothing I can't handle."

"Stark was somehow involved… As was SHIELD."

"Why am I not surprised? Keep an eye on the international news. I am not sure what is going on, but whatever this is, I think it is far from over."

"I agree."

"I must go now. May Bast protect us all," she whispered, and hung up.

Nakia was somewhere in Egypt these days, looking for a vibranium artifact that had been taken from the Great Pyramid of Giza, but that was all he knew. Only the King knew the details of her current mission.

Both Shuri and T'Challa were now too restless to enjoy a quiet night in the forest, so they decided to return to the palace and follow the news from there. It was going to be a sleepless night.

But nothing interesting happened. Loki was still in the custody of SHIELD, and the "experts" simply dismissed him as a madman. Shuri thought of calling Ana to see if she knew more about the incident in Stuttgart, but their father had said there was no need for that yet.

Shuri and their mother had fallen asleep in front of the TV when their father entered the room.

"I called Director Fury," he whispered. "Reminded him of his promise."

T'Challa had expected him to do so. "And?"

"He was being evasive. He said he was too busy to talk right now, but would call me back as soon as he could. I doubt he ever will."

"Is this why you didn't want to tell Shuri about that deal?"

"Yes. This was exactly what I feared. Now I am very glad we didn't have to deal with these Asgardians ourselves."

Once again, T'Challa admired his father's wisdom. "Do you think what happened in Germany had anything to do with Thanos?"

He shrugged. "Who knows? At this point, anything is possible."

Their conversation was interrupted when the screen automatically turned on. There must have been a development. Shuri and their mother woke up as well. Everyone looked each other in shock when they saw aliens coming out of a portal in the sky above the Stark Tower. Loki had been on his own in Germany, but now he had an army with him.

T'Challa wondered if this was Asgard's army, but then realized that Loki's brother, Thor, was on the side of humans.

"This is it, I am calling Ana," Shuri said, looking for something, probably the cell phone she usually used in America.

"Shuri…" their father started, but she didn't listen. Still, she put the phone on the speaker for them to hear.

"Ana?"

"Hey…"

"Are you okay? What's going on there?"

"Wait, how do you know?"

"For Bast's sake, are you kidding me? It is all over the international news! There is a portal just above the Stark Tower, and aliens are pouring out of it! Are you safe?"

"I'm stuck in a bunker. Do you have any ideas to shut down that portal?"

"Maybe, but I need more data. I thought you could help me with that. Can you go up there? This might be a good time to stop being a pussy and try out one of your father's suits, you know…"

"No, Mark VII is the only functional suit we have here right now. Besides, I've already caused enough trouble today. I think I should stay put."

"Why?"

"My dad had told me to leave before the battle started, but I didn't listen. I—I was almost going to kill him, Shuri! I tried to kill him!"

"What? How? I don't understand, why would you try to kill your father?"

"Loki, the leader of those aliens, he can control minds with some sort of scepter. He was going to make me kill him!"

"But you didn't… You didn't hurt him, right?"

"No, I had a contingency plan. I was hoping my chat with Loki would take a more civilized turn, but, well... It didn't."

"Damn, girl… Did you really think you could talk that Loki guy out of this?"

"Yeah, still think I'm a pussy?"

"Look, Ana, if the portal remains open, this will only get worse. The bunker won't keep them out forever. You must leave."

"It's not safe out there."

Shuri thought for a moment, and then said, "Take my car. It is still in your garage, right?"

"Your car?"

 _No_ , T'Challa thought. What was going on over there was horrible, yes, but their father hadn't said the Starks had passed the test yet. "Shuri, no. She has not passed the test," he reminded her in Xhosa. He didn't want the Stark girl to understand what he had said.

But Shuri ignored him. "It is made of vibranium!"

"What? All of it?"

"Yes!"

"I thought Wakanda didn't have any Vibranium left…"

"You weren't supposed to tell her, sister. Not yet," he said, this time in English.

"I'm not going to let my friend die!" Shuri said fiercely.

"Fine! But from now on, she is your responsibility," T'Challa said, again, in English. He wanted Ana to know. If she truly cared about her friendship with Shuri, she would keep her mouth shut.

"Miss Stark, your father is on the line," an unfamiliar voice chimed in.

"What? Put him through, JARVIS. I'm sorry, Shuri, I'll call you back as soon as I can."

"Okay. Be safe."

"Shuri!" both their mother and father scolded her afterward, and T'Challa suddenly decided that he should be on her side, no matter what she might have just done.

"What is done is done," he said. "The Starks passed the test anyway. They didn't touch the car."

"Only because they were too busy with an alien invasion," their mother cried.

"Mother, look at this!" She showed her the screen. "Do you really think she is safe in that bunker? At least I gave her a chance to escape…"

She began pacing up and down nervously. Gods, Nakia was right. Vision or not, Shuri really cared about that girl.

"Why the Stark Tower?" their father asked. "Loki could have unleashed this army anywhere in the world…"

That was a good question.

Shuri paused. "The Arc Reactor…"

"What?" T'Challa asked, confused.

"You need a powerful energy source to be able to open a portal like that."

"Can't they just turn it off, then?" their mother asked.

"I don't know. I am sure JARVIS has tried turning it off. But once the portal is opened, the power source must have become irrelevant."

"Look," their father said, and they all turned to look at the TV again.

Tony Stark was approaching the portal… with a nuclear missile on his back.

Their mother gasped. "What is he doing?"

"Were they just going to nuke an entire city?" Shuri cried.

 _They were_ , T'Challa thought. _They were willing to sacrifice an entire city to save the rest of the world._ Sometimes rulers had to make such tough decisions. That was why T'Challa didn't want to become king. Being a hero was easier. Like Stark, he wouldn't hesitate to fly into that portal with a nuke on his back if he had to, but the decision to fire that missile… It wasn't a decision he could make. From a logical point of view, he understood. Sacrificing one city to save thousands of others… He understood, but it didn't mean he approved. He and his father exchanged a meaningful look, and T'Challa was pretty sure his father understood his struggle.

There was only silence when Stark entered the portal with the nuclear missile on his back without hesitation. So, that was why he must have called his daughter. Hopefully, the last thing he had heard was her voice, at least. If T'Challa were in his shoes, he would want Shuri's voice to be the last thing he heard. Suddenly, he felt a deep respect for this outsider. Perhaps the Wakandans weren't the only ones who protected their secrets with a false face.

But just before the portal was closed, Stark appeared again. He was falling, but the Hulk caught him. Then the cameras started showing the dead aliens on the streets. The battle had been won.

They were all silent for a long while. An actual alien invasion, in one of the most famous cities in the world… Only a few years ago, T'Challa had thought meeting a secret Asgardian was hard to digest. The threat was approaching. And it was approaching too fast for his liking.

Finally, Shuri asked, "What now?"

"Now, you will go back to New York, and tell the Starks everything," their father said.

" _Everything_?" Shuri asked incredulously.

"Yes. I suppose it won't be so hard for them to believe you after what happened today."

…

Despite their mother's reluctance to send Shuri back to America, T'Challa was eager to see what would happen from now on. The Battle of New York had changed the world forever. Still, it took a while until Shuri was able to speak with Ana. Shuri said Ana had grown distant and gloomy. But finally, she found an opportunity to tell her about her vision.

It turned out Ana Stark had received a warning of her own. The time-traveler in Shuri's vision had paid her past self a visit while Tony Stark was being held captive in Afghanistan, on the night Obadiah Stane's hired killers had been sent to kill her. They had killed the time-traveler instead, and a security cam had recorded the whole thing. It was the future Ana Stark who had told her past self to scrap her time-traveling project, because otherwise she was going to create a time loop. According to the time-traveler, the world had been destroyed in that future, Thanos had all the Infinity Stones—no one had any idea what they were—and was unstoppable. In order to prevent this from happening, they had to build something called the Nexus. Again, no one had any idea what the Nexus was. All they knew was that it was something Howard Stark had started.

Before dying, the time-traveler had also told Ana to be in New York and speak with Loki, because he hated Thanos as much as they did. Ana had also recorded her confrontation with Loki—it hadn't ended well for the poor girl—and a more aggressive interrogation after he had been subdued by the Avengers. Loki hadn't denied that he had been sent to conquer Earth by Thanos, and indeed, hated him. No doubt he expected a punishment for his failure. Still, he refused to defend humans. But he had said his wife, Sigyn, who had been living on Earth for decades, might be willing to help.

According to Shuri, Ana was disheartened at first, but she had convinced her to go to Tonsberg, a town in Norway where Sigyn currently lived, and speak with her. While Sigyn had refused to say anything about Thanos or the Infinity Stones, Shuri had still learned a lot from this visit. First of all, Sigyn somehow knew that she would be a victim of Thanos in the future. She must have received a warning as well. Secondly, she was here to "guard the Tesseract," and therefore, personally knew Director Fury. The spy had lied to them about not knowing anything about Sigyn. Also, Sigyn used to be good friends with the founding members of SHIELD. Especially with Howard Stark. It was Sigyn who had found out Howard Stark had a granddaughter whose terminally ill mother was hoping to hide her existence from Tony Stark, as a way of revenge. After the vindictive mother's death, Sigyn had taken the baby, left her on Tony Stark's doorstep, and erased the memories of everyone who knew about her, to pay "her debt of gratitude to Howard." It must have been quite a debt if she had been willing to go that far.

After the visit to Norway, Ana was willing to bring her father into the fold at first, but changed her mind upon realizing he was suffering from PTSD. Shuri didn't have the details yet. All she knew that Stark's PTSD had something to do with the wormhole and aliens. At least Shuri had decided to drop out of graduate school, and come home, saying she needed Wakanda's resources to find out what the Infinity Stones and Nexus were.

T'Challa could feel that his sister's anger and disappointment were beyond words when Sigyn had refused to help them. So, he decided to have a word with this Asgardian himself. He donned his Panther Habit, and flew to Tonsberg on his Royal Talon. He waited until midnight to sneak into Sigyn's house. It was easy enough. T'Challa had expected some kind of high-tech alarm or protective spells, but either Asgardians didn't have those, or Sigyn didn't expect any infiltrators.

The petite blonde woman was asleep in her bed. Like Shuri had said, she looked very young, like she was in her early 20s. There was an otherworldly beauty about her; T'Challa wondered if her neighbors knew she was an Asgardian. He stood still beside the bed for some time, wondering if she would feel his presence and wake up.

She did. Her blue eyes flew open, and a sword materialized in her hand. She shot up in the bed, pointing the sword at him.

"King T'Chaka?"

So, she knew about Wakanda and the Black Panther… Perhaps Howard Stark hadn't taken their secret to the grave. Or, perhaps it was Fury who had told her.

He removed his helmet. "I am Prince T'Challa, the son of King T'Chaka."

She shot him a questioning look.

"My father decided to pass the Black Panther mantle to me a few years ago."

The sword in her hand disappeared. She got out of the bed, went to pick up a woolen shawl, and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Right. Sometimes I forget how quickly things change here in Midgard. Why are you here, Prince T'Challa?"

"I am here to talk to you, Lady Sigyn. I believe you already met my sister. She was quite disappointed in you."

"I know." She gestured him to follow her, and led him into a living room. T'Challa had thought she would be angry for sneaking up on her, but they were actually having a civilized conversation. Nakia, who always complained about his impulsive nature, would be proud.

He sat down on an armchair, and Sigyn took a seat across from him.

"I don't know what exactly is going on here, how you know about Thanos, or why you think I can help you defeat him, but I can't. You are on your own."

"Your husband thinks you can. You know what the Infinity Stones are. That is very important to us. And you have also been warned about Thanos as well."

"True, but I don't have the power to stop him. I'm not the savior you think I am. As for the Infinity Stones, the less you know, the better. You've seen what happens when mortals meddle with forces they don't understand."

"Yes, I believe you had warned Director Fury against the Tesseract's power…"

"Director Fury told me about the deal he and your father had made. That's how I found out about your nation. Much to my surprise, Fury actually had the decency to ask for my permission before revealing my secrets to others. And to respect my decision when I said no."

"So, you knew we were seeking you, and yet, you turned your back on us. Why?"

"I'm sure some people in this world can ask you a similar question. You have the power to stop all wars that have been going around in this realm forever. Yet all you do is to hide in the shadows. And you ask _us_ to reveal all our secrets."

"How familiar are you with our planet's history, my lady?"

"Quite familiar."

He decided not to share their internal conflicts with an outsider. "Then you know the answer to that question. If Wakanda steps out of the shadows, and becomes like everywhere else, we don't have another world to go back to. You do. Still, we are willing to cooperate with those we trust. Isn't that good enough?"

"I see you're angry with me, Prince T'Challa. But believe it or not, I'm actually trying to protect you."

"From what?"

"From yourselves. Midgardians must advance through adversary. It was a lesson I learned the hard way, trust me. When I first came here as the guardian of the Tesseract, I… strayed from my path. And it cost me dearly."

She didn't seem to understand that if Thanos won, there would be no humanity to advance through adversary. But he wasn't going to antagonize her. If Nakia were here, she would tell him to remain on this woman's good side, in case she had a change of heart one day.

"But you Asgardians helped us before, right? Against the other threats out there? Why can't you do it again?"

"That's a question you must ask the Allfather."

"Can't you just ask him? You are a part of the family, after all."

"I can't. I'm no longer a citizen of Asgard." Though her expression remained proud, her voice was now full of pain and sorrow. "I've been banished."

"May I ask why?"

"As the guardian of the Tesseract, I was supposed to stop Loki when he tried to use it. But as his wife, I was supposed to stand by his side no matter what he did. You see, I couldn't fulfill one oath without breaking the other… So I decided to stay out of the conflict. Now I'm paying the price."

"I see. But in that case, this world is now your home, then. Help us protect it."

"My decision is final, Prince T'Challa. But if you want my advice, I say the Avengers are Midgard's best hope. If you are looking for allies against Thanos, join them."

Well, that was what T'Challa had in mind as well. To join the Avengers through Stark. But his daughter refused to tell him the truth, and Shuri would never forgive T'Challa if he betrayed her friend's trust. He just hoped Mr. Stark would soon find a way to overcome his PTSD.

He stood up. "Well, I hope you change your mind, Lady Sigyn. If you do, you are always welcome in Wakanda."

"Thank you, Prince T'Challa, but no. I wish you good luck, though."

He put the helmet back on, and left the house as quietly as he had come.

…

By the time T'Challa returned to Wakanda, Shuri was already there, waiting with their father on the tarmac.

"So, brother, I hope you taught that bitch a lesson?"

"Shuri," their father scolded her. "Watch your language, please."

"Sorry, Father…"

"No, I simply talked to her," T'Challa said. "She is not our enemy, but she is not going to help us either. Still, I would not antagonize her, in case she changed her mind someday."

His father nodded in approval. "Good thinking, son."

Shuri rolled her eyes. "These Asgardians are such drama queens."

T'Challa smiled, put an arm around her waist, and tugged her closer. "On that we agree, little sister. Anyway, look on the bright side. You are finally home."

She looked around. It was another beautiful, warm and sunny day in Wakanda. "Yes."

"How was Disneyland?"

Shuri had begged Ana to go to Disneyland before leaving America. T'Challa was glad that his sister could still act like an ordinary teenager on occasion. It was good to know that she was interested in things that had nothing to do with malevolent aliens. Thanos had already stolen so much from Shuri's childhood. T'Challa didn't know what else he would steal from them, but he would be damned if he let Thanos steal her youthful years as well. Shuri deserved to have a good life. A life that was not lived in fear.

"We had so much fun! I wish you had been there with us."

As they were walking to the Citadel, their father seemed to be in a deep, thoughtful silence. "Father?" T'Challa asked. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, yes… I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"About this time-traveler. Her timing feels odd. Why show up on the night of an attempted murder? She could have simply come back before that night, and had time to explain her past self everything, answer any questions she had. And unless we are stuck in a time loop, how did Ana survive this murder attempt in the other timelines, without help from a time-traveler?"

They both looked at Shuri, but she shrugged. "Perhaps she calculated the possible consequences of her presence in this timeline, and decided that it would be best if she died quickly. You know, the butterfly effect and all. As for how she might have survived the attack, it is hard to know. She might have called for help, or she might have slipped away. It was her house, after all. She knew the place better than those goons did."

Their father nodded again. "Still, I have a feeling that your friend might not be telling you the whole truth. In any case, I am calling for a Tribal Council meeting tomorrow."

"Tribal Council?" T'Challa asked, puzzled.

"We are at war. It is time to let them know."


	7. Chapter 7

When Ana sent Shuri her father's Mark 42 footage, Shuri began to realize how serious his PTSD actually was. But when Mr. Stark went into full-idiot mode, openly challenged the Mandarin, and gave him his home address, it wasn't fun and games anymore. Shuri's heart came to her mouth while watching the attack on the Malibu Mansion. Thankfully, Ana called her shortly afterward, to let her know that she was fine, that she wasn't even at home during the attack. But when Shuri called her again a few days later, it was Ms. Potts who answered and helped Ana speak, because Ana had lost her hands. Yes, her hands. Both of them. When a guy named Aldrich Killian, AKA the real Mandarin, had kidnapped Ms. Potts, Ana, too, had gone into full-idiot mode, tried to rescue her, and got captured by Killian. He had injected Ms. Potts with a nano-tech virus called Extremis, and cut off Ana's hands. Ana was pretending like everything was fine. She only complained about the awkwardness of having to rely on Pepper to go to the bathroom. Shuri immediately invited them to Wakanda—surely they could find a way to fix her here—but Ana refused, saying they would soon have a solution ready.

Then Mr. Stark himself called her on the same day. He looked like an absolute wreck, but Shuri had no sympathy for someone who needed his daughter to be mutilated and his girlfriend tortured in order to learn to take his enemies seriously, and she wasn't going to pretend otherwise.

"Hello, Shuri. You seem upset."

"I'm not one of those fangirls you can impress with your reckless actions, Mr. Stark," she said insinuatingly.

"I wasn't trying to impress any…" he started, but then changed his mind. "Look, just help me make this right, then you can berate me all you want, okay?"

"How exactly are you planning to make this right? Ana was _butchered_ , for Bast's sake! And Ms. Potts will have to live with the fear of spontaneous combustion for the rest of her life. But then, they're lucky to still be alive in the first place…" She knew she was being brutal, but he needed to hear it.

He went even paler, but answered the question nevertheless. "I found a way to neutralize Extremis for Pepper, and developed a safer version to use on Ana. I'll neutralize it as well, once… the regenerative properties serve their purpose."

Shuri frowned. She had assumed Stark was working on prosthetic hands, not on the very thing Killian had used to torture Ms. Potts. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

He rubbed his forehead, and let out a troubled sigh. "Come on, Shuri. You're an engineer, too. You know how much precision Ana needs. The prosthetics will never be good enough, and soon, she'll be off to the SHIELD Academy. I'm not sure why, but that's very important to her. Do you know what was the first thing she asked from me once we were safe?"

 _It is important to her because she thinks if she earns Fury's trust, he can give her some answers._ "What?"

"A speech-to-text program, so she could keep writing her dissertation."

Shuri sighed. Typical Ana. "What do you want from me?"

"Banner is helping, but I could really use a third opinion before tinkering with the girls. I don't want to make a mistake that can't be unmade."

He was afraid, and he wasn't even trying to hide it. Even the slightest miscalculation in something like Extremis could kill them. And Shuri would make sure that wouldn't happen. For Ana's sake. "Alright. Send me your research."

"I'm on it."

A few seconds later, Shuri received the Extremis files, and took a quick look. Extremis was an artificial, nano-tech virus, indeed. It affected an unused area in the brain, and by harnessing bio-electricity in the body, triggered regeneration abilities, similar to the ones some lizards had. Maya Hansen's formula had very fast and effective results, but it was also equally unstable. Stark's formula, on the other hand, seemed safe enough… It would work slower, but at least Ana wouldn't explode while growing her hands back. Still, it might not be a smooth ride. And his solution to neutralize Hansen's formula was alright.

"I think Ms. Potts will be fine," she said. "As for Ana… You know how stressful it is for salamanders to regrow limbs, right?"

"She'll be sedated."

"She might wake up during the procedure."

"I know that. She knows that. She doesn't care even if she has to be wide awake during the whole thing."

"Well, then I guess we're going to have to respect her decision."

They were both silent for a moment, but they didn't hang up either. Then he asked, "Do you know what's going on with her?"

"She wasn't the one who gave her home address to a terrorist, Mr. Stark," Shuri reminded sharply.

"That's not what I'm talking about. Look, I know I screwed up. But still… What was Ana thinking, sneaking into Killian's base like that? She's not a fighter, she knows that. It's just… not something she'd normally do."

He had a point. Normally, Ana was a realistic, logical, calculating person. She would let the capable ones do the fighting. If she had to confront an enemy herself, it was for a good reason, and even then, she wouldn't do it without a solid backup plan. That was how she had done it while confronting Loki, for example. She was having a rough time, Shuri knew. A nameless threat was giving her father nightmares, and she was trying to decide if the things she knew would make his condition better, or worse. But that wasn't for Shuri to tell, so she said she didn't know what was wrong with Ana. Stark thanked her politely, and hung up.

…

Despite 2013 had started with a dangerous Extremis procedure, and her father's heart surgery, Ana still graduated _summa cum laude_ that summer. Shuri wished she hadn't dropped out, so that they could have graduated together. It would have been fun. She had come home to be able to have access to all of Wakanda's resources, but so far, Wakanda's resources hadn't brought her any closer to answers. There was no record of the Infinity Stones in the whole world. And apparently, "Nexus" was a cool name many people chose for their inventions and start-up brands, but none of them offered a promising clue either.

And when she saw the spaceship that attacked London, her heart came to her throat once again. She was working with the Design Group in the labs when the attack started. Her first reaction was to wonder if this was Thanos. The big, black spaceship reminded Shuri of the one in her vision, but she couldn't be sure.

If this was really Thanos, then they had been caught totally unprepared. Everything they had done so far had been for nothing…

"Princess, are you alright?" one of the scientists who had gathered in front of the largest screen asked. Only then, Shuri realized how badly she was shaking.

"Yes," she said quickly. "Yes, I am fine."

He didn't seem convinced. Not that Shuri had expected him to. "Do you want me to call your brother?"

"No, thank you," she said, and made for her private lab. Once she was alone in there, she locked the door, closed her eyes, and tried to think.

London… Had there been any warnings about London? No, she was certain that there hadn't. But if this was a different timeline… Maybe that bastard, Loki, had somehow been able to tell Thanos that there were people conspiring against him on Earth, hoping he would earn his forgiveness… Because of the butterfly effect, anything was possible…

She thought of calling Ana, but then changed her mind. She was at the SHIELD Academy of Science and Technology now. Before leaving for the Academy, she had said she suspected all communications on the campus were monitored. The two girls had set up a private secure server, but Ana didn't want them to take any risks unless they absolutely had to.

Shuri told Griot to give her everything he could find on the London attack. Quickly, but carefully, she browsed every picture and video that had been posted online. Even though the attack had started less than half an hour ago, there was no shortage of them. A bunch of university students who were at a library nearby were even live-streaming the whole thing. Shuri decided to focus on that one. Unlike Shuri, these students actually seemed pretty excited to witness an alien invasion. Shuri wasn't sure if they were brave, or just ignorantly stupid.

"… _As you can see, guys, that's Thor, swinging his hammer and everything… Wow, look at these guys. I wonder if they're elves. I mean, they got pointed ears and all…"_

He was right. These aliens were wearing dark armors, and covering their faces with masks, but they clearly had pointed ears. Shuri realized that after everything, she still had no idea what Thanos looked like. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to know.

 _Why have I suddenly become such a coward_ , she wondered. Shuri decided to do what she did best and started observing them more carefully. Unfortunately, for some reason, these space elves were constantly disappearing and reappearing. It seemed to be random at first, but maybe she could find a pattern…

"Shuri?" T'Challa was knocking on the glass door. He seemed worried about her.

"Let him in," she said, and the door wooshed open.

"Shuri, are you alright?"

"Do you know what's going on?"

"I spoke with our spies in London. This has something to do with the… Convergence. That is all they have been able to find out."

"Convergence?"

He shrugged.

Convergence… Yes, now that she thought about it, the Design Group had recently noticed gravitational anomalies around the world. But then, no warnings about a Convergence either…

"You don't think this is Thanos, do you?" she asked. She tried to hide the fear in her voice, but T'Challa had understood. He would always understand.

"No."

"So, just a random alien attack… Are they a thing now?"

He didn't tease, or embarrass her. Instead, he just pulled her into a hug, and kissed the top her head. "Perhaps. And perhaps this is a good thing. Sigyn said the Avengers were our best hope against Thanos. They are going to need practice."

"It is just Thor, though… I wonder where the others are." She knew Mr. Stark had destroyed his suits. Ana wasn't very happy about it, but she said it had actually improved his mental health, so she hadn't protested. Besides, he was still recovering from the surgery. Captain Rogers, Agents Barton and Romanoff worked for SHIELD, and SHIELD hadn't shown up yet. Perhaps they needed permission from Fury before they could get involved in such things. Or perhaps they were busy with another mission. Either way, Thor was on his own. At least he seemed to be doing fine. Compared to the one in New York, this army was rather small.

The fight was over in half an hour. Bast bless that ignorantly stupid student who had live-streamed it until the end.

"I told you," T'Challa said, almost cheerfully. "Thanos wouldn't have been so easily defeated, would he?"

"Right. I guess I was worried for no reason. I hope no one is hurt."

"Shuri?"

"Yes?"

"Even if it had been Thanos, I wouldn't have let him lay a finger on you. You know that, right?"

"Do you really think I was scared for myself?" she asked, her voice now cracking. There was a huge lump in her throat. She tried to swallow, but it didn't help.

Shuri was a lucky girl. Despite everything that had happened, she had never thought otherwise. She was lucky to be a genius, she was lucky to have been born in the most technologically advanced country in the world, to have such wise, supportive, and loving parents. But most of all, she was lucky to have a brother like T'Challa.

T'Challa put her hands on her shoulders, and promised her, "I'll be fine. In this future, things will be different."

…

If there was anything more unexpected than the random alien attack in London, it was that creepy selfie Ana sent her via their secure server one day. Would a picture of your future self's corpse in a cryo chamber count as a selfie?

" _WTF?"_ That was all Shuri was able to type back.

 _"Fury knows."_

 _"How?"_

 _"He sent me on a mission with Hawkeye. He must have wanted me to see that body. And secure Loki's scepter. I think something is wrong in SHIELD."_

 _"You have the scepter?"_

 _"Yep."_

 _"What about the body? What if someone else finds it?"_

 _"The whole facility is gone now. Fury isn't one to leave his secrets lying around. Btw, I took DNA samples from the time-traveler."_

 _"You ARE a genius."_ The possibility of being stuck in a time loop was another thing that had been giving Shuri nightmares since Ana had shown her the time-traveler's message. Now, Ana could analyze the DNA samples to see if her future self had been given the Extremis treatment as well. If she hadn't, it would prove that they were definitely not in a time loop and prove the multiverse theory right. If she had, it didn't necessarily mean they were in a loop, of course, but the possibility would still exist.

She decided to find T'Challa and tell him that Fury wasn't as oblivious as they thought he was. Okoye said he was sparring with W'Kabi, and they set off to the training grounds together.

Okoye's eyes narrowed in suspicion as they walked. "Something is happening, am I right?"

"How can you always tell?"

"It is my duty… Besides, I am curious."

"Curious? About what?"

"About all this. After King Bashenga, you are the second Wakandan Bast has chosen to help. It is a miracle. And a great privilege to witness."

To be honest, Shuri was a bit baffled. Okoye had never said what she thought of this. As a general of the Dora Milaje, she had listened, counseled, and obeyed. But the Dora usually kept their personal thoughts to themselves. "When did you start to believe me? Be honest."

"I think I have always believed you. Right from the start. Perhaps that is why nothing has ever surprised me. Not Elliot Randolph, not the Stark girl, not even the Battle of New York. I think a part of me was expecting such things to happen. W'Kabi, on the other hand…" She paused, and chuckled. "His skepticism has been tested so many times, yet he is still as stubborn as a rock."

"Perhaps he is just too proud to admit that he is wrong."

"Perhaps. Anyway, you were saying…"

"Oh, right…" When she took out her tablet, Okoye's face wrinkled.

"I don't understand how a genius like you can stand such an old piece of tech."

She shrugged. "I wanted to give Ana a set of Kimoyo beads, but she said they were too conspicuous." Unfortunately, Kimoyo beads and the satellite connections that were used in the rest of the world weren't compatible. It was like trying to connect the internet with a typewriter. So, she always carried an old-fashioned tablet and cell phone around because of her paranoid American friend.

She showed Okoye the picture. Okoye frowned, and studied the picture for some time. Finally, she asked, "What is this supposed to mean?"

Shuri opened her mouth to reply, but then realized they were at the training grounds. T'Challa and W'Kabi froze when they saw Shuri and Okoye.

"Princess, my love… What do we owe the pleasure?" W'Kabi asked them, still panting. These two would never go easy on each other while sparring.

T'Challa took a sip of water from his bottle. "I bet my sister has something for us…"

 _I am becoming too predictable_ , Shuri thought.

"This," Okoye showed them the picture of the time-traveler. Calling her "the time-traveler" was easier than calling her Ana. After all, she was dead.

"Fury sent Ana on a mission with Agent Barton to secure Loki's scepter. This is the other thing she found there."

"SHIELD knows," Okoye said.

"Not SHIELD. Fury," Shuri corrected her. "It is not the same thing. The facility where this body was kept was destroyed after Ana and Barton left. It has to be some kind of self-destruction protocol."

"What about Agent Barton?"

"I think he only knows about the scepter."

"Why now?" W'Kabi asked. "Why did Director Fury wait until now to tell your friend that he knew?"

"I don't know. But Ana thinks there is a problem with SHIELD."

"A problem? Like what?"

"I have never trusted these intelligence organizations," Okoye said. "SHIELD might have been compromised. The only question is, by whom?"

"Brother? You are too quiet…"

"Come," T'Challa said softly, and led Shuri away. Okoye and Wakabi didn't come after them. They went inside the palace, and then Shuri's room. T'Challa wanted to talk to her in private, then. She was starting to get curious.

"There is something you need to know about Fury," he said once they were alone in her room.

Shuri hopped on her bed and crossed her legs. "Alright. I am all ears."

"Years ago, our father and Fury made a deal."

She thought for a moment. Yes, Director Fury, along with two other SHIELD agents, had visited Wakanda once. "I remember… He bought a hard-drive, and a containment chamber design for enhanced people."

"Yes, but money wasn't the only thing _Baba_ asked in return. He also asked Fury to share any information regarding Sigyn, Loki, or Thanos with us."

She looked at him, taken aback. _"SHIELD and I came to a mutual understanding,"_ her father had said. She had had no idea that "mutual understanding" could be about Thanos. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"To protect you. _Baba_ didn't want to give you any false hopes. I mean, you have seen what Loki turned out to be."

"So, Fury lied to us…"

"Obviously. But at least he told Sigyn that we were looking for her. It was Sigyn who wished to remain hidden and refused to contact us."

"Why am I not surprised?" Sigyn was such a bitch.

"Don't judge that woman so harshly."

"Why not?"

"When I met her, she just seemed… lost. I have a feeling that sooner or later, she will come around."

"We are just wasting our time. It would be nice if we at least knew what the Infinity Stones are, you know."

"I know. But right now, I have a different concern."

"Which is…"

"SHIELD. Okoye thinks it might have been compromised. What do you think?"

"That explains why Fury keeps secrets from his own people."

"If that is the case, I wonder how deep the corruption goes… I will speak with Father. Do you want to come?"

Shuri nodded, glad that her brother didn't want to leave her out of such conversations. She knew her father sometimes kept secrets from them, but she felt like she should have been told that her father had made a deal with a super spy about the people in her vision.

…

It didn't take long for them to find out by whom SHIELD had been compromised, and how deep it went. The next day, as three helicarriers destroyed the Triskelion, a SHIELD HQ in Washington DC, all SHIELD files were released online by Natasha Romanoff. Okoye had been right. But even she couldn't have guessed that it was HYDRA that had been secretly taking over SHIELD. By using Project Insight, they were planning to kill millions of people who were a potential threat to their new world order. T'Challa, Shuri, their father, and even Nakia were among them. So, the Design Group began to work day and night to find out how much HYDRA knew about Wakanda. All files had been released, but most of them were still encrypted, and the amount of data was massive, even for the Wakandan computer servers. In the meantime, Ana had analyzed the DNA samples and proven that they weren't in a time loop. At least that was some relief.

It took two weeks of hard work for Shuri and her team to go through the data dump, but they were able to discover how HYDRA knew of Wakanda's secrets at last. One of their leaders, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, had business relations with the _Ungumbuali_. Klaue had even sold them a small amount of vibranium, and HYDRA had used it to make a pair of Ring Blades, similar to the ones Nakia used. For whom, the Design Group hadn't been able to find out. They immediately deleted every trace of this information from the internet.

The Elders became restless when they found out. They wanted Strucker to be silenced for good as soon as possible. T'Challa thought Baron von Strucker could lead them to Klaue. Shuri thought this was the perfect excuse for him to join the Avengers.


	8. Chapter 8

"Is it worth revealing the Black Panther to the world?" Nehanda, the Merchant Tribe Elder, asked. Of all the Elders, she seemed the most displeased. "Surely we can locate this von Strucker on our own."

"We will not reveal ourselves to the world," T'Challa corrected her. "Just to the Avengers. And they have agreed to keep our secrets."

Nehanda frowned. "How many of these… Avengers have you met?"

"None."

"And you vouch for all of them…"

"I trust my sister's judgment," he said, looking at Shuri. He hoped she wouldn't do anything reckless and ruin this Tribal Council meeting. The Elders would soon come around. So far, Shuri had been able to behave, but well… Shuri was Shuri.

"HYDRA can lead us to Klaue. It's too great an opportunity to pass," Okoye said.

"We all know this is not only about the _Ungumbuali_ , though," another Elder reminded them of the unspoken truth.

"As I said, we are at war. Not only with Klaue, but also with Thanos. Does anyone here disagree?" The King had spoken for the first time.

No one made a reply.

"This is a war we cannot win without allies," T'Challa said. "The Avengers are our allies."

"Do they know that?"

"Soon, they will. First, let me see them in action myself." According to Shuri, Mr. Stark's mental health was getting better. But when Ana had made another attempt to tell him about Thanos, he had had an anxiety attack again. He had to know, though. T'Challa didn't want to keep secrets from him while living at the Avengers Tower as his guest. It was a dishonorable thing to do. But then, so was betraying his daughter's trust…

"HYDRA is our enemy as well," his mother said. "Have you forgotten that they bought some of our stolen vibranium from Klaue? Or, that my husband, our _king_ ,was among the Project Insight targets? Also, our children, and Nakia of the River Tribe…"

For a time, the tribes discussed the matter among themselves before announcing their final decision. T'Challa looked at Shuri. She was swinging her legs nervously, until their mother made her stop. But she was nervous for no reason. In the end, the Elders agreed that the Black Panther should fight with the Avengers. Shuri was going to New York again. And this time, T'Challa, Okoye, and Nakia were coming with her. Though the last one didn't know it yet.

…

His father had said Nakia was in Nigeria, trying to get to the bottom of a human trafficking operation there. She wasn't going to be happy about this, but T'Challa had to pull her out and leave for New York as soon as possible. And after everything they had been through, he wanted to tell her about his decision to join the Avengers himself. He assumed she would be delighted to hear it.

He was watching the international news as Okoye piloted the jet. The world was still discussing the HYDRA Uprising. The Triskelion wasn't the only SHIELD facility they had attacked; the casualties were too high. They hadn't shown mercy to anyone, not even the young cadets at the Academies. Their families had formed a committee to make sure nothing would remain hidden. They especially wanted to know why Ana Stark had been mysteriously pulled out of the campus only one day before the attacks, and accused the Stark family of being HYDRA. Other victims who had been forced to remain silent for years were slowly coming forward, and confessing the horrible acts HYDRA had made them commit by threatening them and their loved ones.

"My prince, we are coming up on them now."

He got on his feet. The surveillance system of the Royal Talon had scanned the convoy down in the forest. Luckily, every War Dog had a tracker on them, so that he was able to see in which truck Nakia was. There were six vehicles in total.

"No need, Okoye, I can handle this alone," he said when he saw her pick up her spear.

Okoye didn't seem convinced, but she put the spear down nevertheless.

"I will get Nakia out as quickly as possible."

She gave him the EMP beads. "Just don't freeze when you see her."

"What are you talking about? I never freeze."

He put his helmet on, and waited for the exit to open. When it did, he immediately looked for the convoy as he fell, and threw the beads at them. He landed on a tree, and waited.

The convoy stopped. _"Defense position!"_ he heard the men tell each other. His plan was to ambush them one by one in this small clearing, but a dog came out of nowhere and noticed him. It hadn't made a sound yet; it was just staring at him warily. But when two men entered the clearing with their rifles and flashlights, it began to bark, still looking at T'Challa.

So much for the stealth approach.

He killed the two men first, then jumped on one of the trucks. They were all shooting at him, but the bullets were merely an annoyance. Still, he had to finish them off as quickly as possible, before these bullets hurt one of the civilians in the trucks… Or Nakia.

He was about to kill the last one, who was still shooting at him desperately, until Nakia made him stop. With a kick.

"This one is just a boy," she scolded him. "He got kidnapped as well!"

Well, in his defense, the boy's face was covered, and he was trying to kill him. How could he possibly know that he was innocent?

She got rid of her hijab quickly, and looked at him, probably demanding an explanation.

"Nakia… Hi," was all he had been able to say. It had been a long time. He had so much to tell her, but now he didn't even know where to start. "I wanted to—"

"Hey!" someone shouted. Apparently, one of the traffickers had been able to hide from him during the fight, and was now holding a woman at gunpoint. TChalla gently pulled Nakia to stand behind him. "I have her. Don't move, I will shoot! _Wallahi_ , I will shoot her—"

Okoye came out of nowhere. She cut off his hand first, then stabbed him in the guts.

"You froze," she scolded T'Challa afterward.

"Ah…" She was right. He had.

He removed his helmet, and looked at Nakia again.

"Why are you here? You ruined my mission."

His father had warned him that Nakia had been living in a secluded village for months, with no access to television or the internet.

"Have you heard of the HYDRA Uprising?"

"What?" She turned to Okoye, as if she wanted to make sure T'Challa wasn't babbling nonsense. Okoye simply nodded.

"So much happened while you were away, Nakia. HYDRA tried to take over the world," he said. "One of their leaders has business connections with Ulysses Klaue. I am going to look for him… with the Avengers. I want you to come to America with me."

She seemed to have understood the gravity of the situation. "Fine. Let me talk to the others first."

He waited as Nakia and Okoye spoke to the victims. When he saw the look of gratitude in their faces, he understood why Nakia didn't want to stop being a War Dog. It was selfish of him to still hope that one day Nakia would choose him over this. But, well… Nakia's love was the one thing he had ever wanted so selfishly for himself.

…

It was a peaceful early morning in Wakanda. As they flew over them, shepherds and scouts of the Border Tribe waved at the Royal Talon. Soon, the Golden City, concealed by a hologram of a dense rainforest, was ahead.

"This never gets old…"

The look on Nakia's face when they passed through the protective dome made T'Challa realize how much she must have missed home. He almost felt guilty for taking her to New York with him immediately, but becoming allies with the Avengers, destroying what had remained of HYDRA, and capturing Klaue… He didn't think Nakia would want to miss any of these either.

When they landed, they found Queen Ramonda waiting for them. T'Challa smiled. His mother loved Nakia like a daughter. Perhaps she still hoped that Nakia would be her daughter-in-law one day, who knew?

Nakia curtsied to her. "My queen…"

"Nakia, it is so good to have you back, my dear," she said, then looked at T'Challa with a frown. "You should go see your sister at once."

He chuckled. "What has she done this time?"

"Finally, you are here!" Shuri herself came to them running before their mother could answer the question. "You are not going to believe what just happened!"

Puzzled, Nakia looked at him, but he simply shrugged. Something must have happened while they were gone.

"Ana called, she figured out what the Nexus is! We just have to find the Infinity Stones, and create elements based on them! Howard Stark discovered the Space Stone element, so one down, five to go! Isn't it wonderful? Oh, and Loki is the King of Asgard now, but don't worry, he is on our side. He helped Ana learn—"

T'Challa raised a hand to stop her. "Has anyone been able to make sense of my sister's words?"

Nakia and Okoye shook their heads in confusion.

Their mother sighed. "She woke up at five this morning, and has been rambling like this since then. Come on, let's go to the throne room. Whatever this is about, I am sure your father will want to hear it as well."

They all went to the throne room, where the King was waiting. "Welcome home, Nakia… I am sorry we had to pull you out of your mission like that. I hope no one got hurt?"

"No, my king. And I understand the urgency."

"Father, can I talk now?" Shuri chimed in.

Their father tried to frown, but he was actually biting his lips not to smile. He wasn't just as good as their mother when it came to looking stern. "You may. But this time, start from the very beginning."

They took their seats and became all ears. Except for Shuri. She seemed too excited to be able to sit still. She thought for a moment, and then said, this time more slowly, "Alright. So, you know Mr. Stark invited the Avengers to move into the Avengers Tower, right? Thor showed up last night, and Ana spoke with him. He had a message for her from 'Odin.' "

Her use of air quotes made T'Challa chuckle. Shuri stuck her tongue at him before continuing. "Anyway, 'Odin' knows Ana has the scepter, and he wants her to keep and study it. He told Thor to answer any questions she might have about the Infinity Stones. So, Thor did as he was told. But Ana thinks it was actually Loki, posing as Odin."

"Why?" Okoye asked.

"I don't know, something in his message must have given Ana a hint. She seemed pretty certain."

"Go on," their father urged her.

"Thor said the scepter contains one of the Infinity Stones. The Mind Stone. And the Tesseract contains the Space Stone."

"You said there were six of them."

"Yes, brother. The others are Reality, Time, Power, and Soul. Thor said the Reality Stone was in another galaxy, and we don't know where the others are, but at least we know what the Nexus is. A combination of six elements. An element for each stone."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because the power of the first element has already been tested. The element Howard Stark created for the core of his Arc Reactor was based on the Tesseract. When Loki tried to use the scepter on Tony Stark, it didn't work, because—"

"—He had the element in his chest," Nakia gasped in awe.

So, they knew what the Nexus was now. It was tremendous progress. Still, something bothered T'Challa. "Perhaps Fury knew this all along. Perhaps that was why he let Ana take the scepter."

"Not necessarily. When she was at the SHIELD Academy, Ana made a request to experiment with the scepter. She was hoping to develop something that would prevent any form of mind control. We didn't know the scepter had anything to do with the Nexus back then. Maybe Fury just wanted to prove he was a friend. And to make sure HYDRA didn't get the scepter. Two birds with one stone."

"What about Mr. Stark?" their father asked. "Did you tell your friend that T'Challa wishes to help him destroy HYDRA?"

"Yes, of course! I'm sure Mr. Stark is expecting a call from T'Challa any time now."

"It is quite late at night in New York right now," T'Challa said. "I will call him later."

…

Before leaving for New York, a trip to Shuri's lab was in order. She had said there was a special Panther Habit she had designed for this mission.

"Are you sure it is a good idea to take Nakia with us?"

"Why not? After everything she has done, she deserves to be there."

"Of course she does. I just thought… You don't like being _distracted_ during missions, you know."

"I won't. Okoye and Nakia will stay with you in the tower."

"Am I not a bit old for babysitters?"

"Come on, Shuri! You know Mother doesn't want you to be alone in New York. That city has already been attacked by Thanos' army once."

"Whatever… Take a look at these. Your communication devices. Unlimited range, also equipped with an audio surveillance system. HYDRA still has bases all around the world, but should you need back up, you will be able to call Okoye and Nakia no matter where you are."

T'Challa chuckled as he inspected the device. Although he would be surrounded by six superheroes, both T'Challa and Shuri thought he might still need Okoye and Nakia's help. Then he noticed the footgear Shuri must have been working on. "What about those?"

She grinned. "Go ahead, put them on."

He took the soles from the workstation and put them on the floor, then took off his shoes. When he stepped on the soles, a pair of boots quickly materialized around his feet. So, nano-tech… Lately, Shuri had been obsessed with nano-tech.

"Fully automated. Like in the old American movies _Baba_ watches… And I made them completely sound absorbent. Guess what I call them?"

He shot her a questioning look.

"Sneakers. Because you… Never mind." She patted on his shoulder, then crossed to the mannequins. One of them had a Panther Habit on it, but the other two weren't. Instead, each was equipped with a ceremonial necklace.

"If you are going to take on Klaue, you need the best the Design Group has to offer. Exhibit A—"

"My design."

"Old tech."

"Old?"

"Functional, but old. _Wait, people are shooting at me, let me put on my helmet_ …"

"Enough, Shuri…"

"Now, look at these. Do you like that one?"

So, she must have been able to put a Panther Habit in those necklaces, then. He looked at the golden one. "Tempting. But the idea is not to be noticed." The whole world would be watching the Avengers, and a mysterious guy in a cat suit was already enough to raise too many questions. The less conspicuous his tech, the better. "This one," he said, looking at the more subtle necklace.

She scanned his neural signals with her Kimoyo beads. "Now tell it to go on."

He did, and just like the boots, the suit materialized around the mannequin. Shuri seemed proud. She had indeed outdone herself. "The entire suit sits in the teeth of the necklace. Strike it."

The question confused him. Was there more? "Anywhere?"

She nodded.

He did, wondering what would happen. But all he did was to send the mannequin flying off.

"Not that hard, genius!" she scolded him.

"You told me to strike it, you didn't say how hard!"

She went to fetch the mannequin. "I brought you to my lab, and you just kick things around."

"Maybe you need something a bit stronger—Wait a minute…" The part that had taken the blow was glowing purple. "What is that?"

"The nanites absorb the kinetic energy and hold it for redistribution."

"Very nice."

"Strike it again in the same spot."

He realized she was recording a video. "Are you recording it?"

"For research purposes," she said innocently, but T'Challa had a feeling that she was preparing for a prank. Well, not that there was anything he could do about it… He kicked the suit again, and an invisible blow sent him flying off. Shuri was laughing.

"Delete that footage," he said, though he doubted if she would.

…

The Avengers Tower seemed a lot different from the one they had seen on the screen during the Battle of New York. Okoye and Nakia had noticed it as well.

"I think Stark secretly likes it when someone destroys his property," Shuri joked. "Gives him an excuse to rebuild it."

Okoye sighed. "Americans…"

T'Challa made radio contact with the tower. "Avengers Tower, this is Royal Talon, requesting permission to land."

"You are clear to land, Prince T'Challa," a male voice said. This had to be JARVIS. "Welcome to the Avengers Tower."

When they landed, Shuri was first to get off the jet. Nakia and Okoye went after her. T'Challa could see that they had all gathered on the terrace, waiting to meet the Wakandans. Mr. Stark, Ms. Potts, Ana, Captain Rogers, Dr. Banner, Thor, Agents Barton and Romanoff, and even Maria Hill. T'Challa wondered if the last one knew about the time-traveler. After all, she was Director Fury's right-hand woman. Also, Agent Barton… He was the one who had taken Ana to Fury's island to retrieve the scepter. How much did he know? Or, did he suspect anything? And Thor… He didn't know Loki was posing as Odin. Gods, it was getting hard to keep track of who knew what.

When he emerged from the jet Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts were first to welcome him. Shuri had introduced Nakia and Okoye to Ana. She seemed a bit nervous while shaking T'Challa's hand. What did she think, that T'Challa would betray her trust and tell her father everything?

"I'm glad we finally met, Ana. Shuri speaks so highly of you."

"I just hope I won't disappoint."

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Stark!" Shuri exclaimed. She seemed to have forgotten that she was angry with him because of the whole Mandarin incident. Well, Shuri had never been the vindictive type. "I loved your Mark 42 footage, by the way!"

Stark turned to Ana. "That video was for your eyes only! Traitor…"

"Don't worry, T'Challa's videos are more embarrassing," Ana said, and T'Challa realized Shuri hadn't deleted that embarrassing video of him getting his ass kicked by his own suit.

"Shuri! I told you to delete that footage…"

Shuri simply shrugged, but there was no time to banter, because they were being introduced to the rest of the team. After that, Shuri went to set up in Ana's lab. Ms. Potts told Okoye and Nakia to follow her, while Stark showed T'Challa to his apartment.

Once he was alone in his room, T'Challa looked out the window. It was hard to believe that only two years ago, a battle had been fought right here. Buildings had been rebuilt, and people had moved on, having no idea the battle was far from over. Even the Avengers…

"T'Challa?" Nakia knocked on the door.

"Come in, Nakia."

She entered, and closed the door behind her. "So, what do you think?"

"Of the Avengers?"

"Yes."

He shrugged. "They seem… capable. What about you?"

"I am not disappointed. If we are to stop Thanos, they will need us. And we will need them."

"Is it wise to talk about him _here_?" he asked insinuatingly. They were speaking in Xhosa, but he didn't think JARVIS would have a problem translating it.

"You don't need to worry about me, Prince T'Challa," JARVIS immediately said, in English. "The Nexus Protocol has been active since you arrived."

Nakia frowned. "How exactly did Ana convince you to keep secrets from Mr. Stark?"

"With a loophole in my programming."

"What sort of loophole?"

"When Mr. Stark created me, he made sure all his administrative privileges would be passed to his daughter in case of his demise. When he was kidnapped in Afghanistan, I calculated his safe return as 0.25 percent, so Miss Stark instated these privileges before adding the Nexus Protocol to my mainframe. Her administration level was temporarily higher than Mr. Stark's during that time. Therefore, no one can override the Nexus Protocol, not even Mr. Stark himself."

He didn't know how this could be possible, but JARVIS sounded almost… desperate. And concerned. T'Challa wondered if the time-traveler had thought of this loophole as well. Her timing was perfect, indeed.

"Shuri once said the Nexus Protocol codes were hidden in fragments, and only Ana's voice, or confirmed death could activate it," he remembered.

"True."

"Could it be activated manually, though?"

"That's a question you should ask Miss Stark, Prince T'Challa." Now there was loyalty in his voice.

"Come on," Nakia said, taking his hand. "This is a nice place. Let's take a look around."

Most of the building had been dedicated to R&D or accommodation, but the penthouse was a communal living area for the Avengers. When T'Challa and Nakia went up there, they found Stark and Barton arguing loudly. They didn't even realize T'Challa and Nakia were there.

"Technically, the scepter belongs to _her_ now," Stark told Barton. "If you have a problem with that, tell Thor to take you to Asgard, so you can share your concerns with Odin himself."

"You don't understand how dangerous it can be!"

"Do I not? Loki used it Ana as well, you know. But she doesn't freak out every time she sees it, does she? Geez, Barton, don't be such a pussy!"

Nakia cleared her throat to get their attention. Both men paused, and turned to them.

"Is something wrong?" T'Challa asked.

"Good, you're here," Barton said sharply. "Do you know that your sister is helping Ana cut Loki's scepter open?"

Well, he wasn't exactly surprised. The Mind Stone was inside the scepter, and it would probably be easier to analyze once they extracted it. "So?"

"So, we don't know what that thing is capable of. It should be locked away in a vault or something."

"Relax, Agent Barton. I'm sure Shuri and Ana know what they're doing."

"See? Great minds think alike." Stark patted on T'Challa's shoulder, walked away with a triumphant grin on his face. Barton let out a frustrated sigh.

This was the perfect opportunity to find out how much the former SHIELD agent knew, T'Challa decided. "You were the one who went to retrieve the scepter with Ana, right?"

"Yeah."

"May I ask why Fury chose you for the mission? After all, you have a… certain history with that artifact."

He grew visibly tense. "I'm not sure. But I'm kind of an old-school spy, and I had a… safehouse that was kept off the records. Perhaps this is why."

"Perhaps."

Then Barton, too, left the penthouse.

"He has a secret," T'Challa said.

"He does, but I don't think he knows what really was on that island." Nakia went to the bar and poured herself a drink. He went after her.

"What do you think he is hiding, then?"

She shrugged. "That safehouse must be very important to him."

"JARVIS?" T'Challa asked. "Do the others share Barton's concerns about the scepter?"

"Some of them do, indeed."

"They need to know," he told Nakia. The quarrel had made him realize the Avengers would keep getting distracted by such petty fights unless they were told about Thanos. "They need to know why the scepter must be studied. Otherwise, this will only get worse. And Mr. Stark… He needs to start preparing for Thanos at once. Any ideas to convince the girl?"

"Oh, I think he is already preparing."

He was confused. "What makes you think that?"

"Just look around you."

He did, but failed to see any signs that Stark was preparing for a war with aliens. "I don't understand…"

"There are only six Avengers. Have you not noticed that there are _dozens_ of living quarters in this building? You can host an army of superheroes here."

"Do you think Stark is expecting a war?"

Nakia shrugged. "We don't know what he saw in that wormhole, or what exactly caused his PTSD. Was it just the vastness of space, the fear of death? I doubt that. It wasn't his first near-death experience. I believe he saw something else up there."

He frowned. Perhaps Stark had seen the rest of Thanos' forces, or maybe even Thanos himself… "Can we find out what it was?"

"You can bromance him while you are here. It shouldn't be too hard, given how much you have in common. And he likes you."

T'Challa chuckled. "Fine. I will try to _bromance_ him."

Suddenly, he came up with an idea. "JARVIS, do you know what he saw in that wormhole?"

"No, Prince T'Challa."

"Even if you did, would you tell me?"

"I am afraid I would not."

T'Challa realized that JARVIS would go behind his master's back only to a certain degree.

…

Although they lived in the same building, T'Challa rarely found the chance to see his sister. HYDRA still had operational bases scattered around the world, and when T'Challa and the Avengers weren't on a mission to destroy them, they were in the briefing room, discussing strategies. Shuri was busy working on the Mind Stone element. But one morning, she came to his room. Last night, the team had returned from a mission, and decided to take the day off. He was hoping to discover New York with Okoye and Nakia, with Shuri as their tour guide. She knew the city better than any of them.

But she didn't seem very happy when she entered.

"Did you finally miss me, little sister?" he teased.

"I came to give you a heads-up."

"Heads-up for what?"

"A fight between Stark and Captain Rogers."

During their missions, T'Challa had realized that the Avengers were indeed good at fighting as a team. They knew each other's strengths and weaknesses. They could put their differences aside during a mission. T'Challa wasn't disappointed. Yet, for some unclear reason, he had a feeling that if there was to be a fight between two members, it would be between Stark and Rogers. Both were natural leaders, though Stark had apparently let the other take the leadership role.

"What happened?"

"Before we came here, Ana went to Malibu, to meet Fury."

This intrigued him. "Really? So, they talked…"

"Yes. Fury was able to find the time-traveler because he had surveillance on her while Stark was in Afghanistan. In case Stark tried to contact his daughter, you know."

"It makes sense."

"Oh, and Sigyn was indeed sent to Earth by Odin to guard the Tesseract after World War II. But she only dealt with the Director. That was a part of the arrangement she made with SHIELD. But more importantly, Sigyn was half-human. I bet you didn't know that."

"No," he said, taken aback.

"And she wasn't very happy about it. She wanted to be stronger. So, when Howard Stark was able to recreate the super soldier serum, he used it on her. That's why she keeps saying she owes him a debt."

He nodded thoughtfully. "What does this have anything to do with the fight?"

"Here is the thing: Howard Stark died shortly after he recreated the serum. Fury told Ana he knew it wasn't a coincidence, but he had never been able to prove it. Ana had been going through the leaked SHIELD and HYDRA files to find proof since then. And she just did. It was the Winter Soldier who killed Mr. Stark's parents. You know who the Winter Soldier really is, right?"

"Sergeant James Barnes? Another American war hero?"

"And Captain Rogers' best friend. Ana is going to tell her father the truth."

"Things might get complicated." This wasn't good. T'Challa still hadn't got a chance to ask Stark what he had seen in the wormhole, and he didn't think the man would be in the mood for such a conversation after this.

"Oh, they surely will. But Ana doesn't want to keep any more secrets from him. I hope no one does anything reckless…"

"How is your work going, by the way? How long do you think it will take to discover the elements?"

"A few years, at best."

"Are you sure?" T'Challa hadn't thought it would take that long.

"It took Howard Stark a lifetime to discover one element, remember? The Infinity Stones are the remnants of the Big Bang. The elements won't be just… elements. They will also be the very essence of creation."

"What about the unknown stones? They can be anywhere in the universe. Even if we locate them…"

"I know that, genius. But now that Loki is on our side, and ruling Asgard, maybe we can borrow the Tesseract."

"I wouldn't put my hopes in that madman, Shuri."

"Well, do you have any better ideas? Besides, logistics is the least of our problems. Even if we discover all the elements, we still don't know how to utilize the Nexus… Wait, no. Actually, we don't even know if it should be _utilized_ , or _weaponized_."

"What does Mr. Stark think of your unusual interest in the scepter?"

She shrugged. "He thinks Ana is still working on mind control prevention. And that I am helping her. She even has a decoy research to make it more convincing."

T'Challa didn't like the fact that his sister's best friend was someone who could lie so easily. It was never a good sign. But he decided to keep that thought to himself. Shuri was still a lonely child. She needed a friend.

"Well, why don't you take me, Nakia and Okoye on a New York tour today?"

She thought for a moment. "Alright. I wasn't looking forward to witnessing another Avengers drama anyway. Let's go."

…

Mr. Stark and Captain Rogers had indeed had a fight, but the dust had apparently settled by the time T'Challa, Okoye, Nakia and Shuri returned to the tower.

T'Challa admired their effort to maintain a professional relationship with each other. Rogers became even more reserved than usual, and Stark spent most of his time in the tower with his family. When they went on a mission, he, too, became distant. He didn't avoid T'Challa like he avoided everyone else, though, and it was easy to understand why. T'Challa was only a temporary member of the team. If things got uglier, he wouldn't have to choose a side, unlike the others. Once they captured Strucker, he would be on his own way to get Klaue. But capturing him wasn't easy. He was always one step ahead of them, until they cornered him in Sokovia.

It was Captain Rogers who had found him. He told the rest of the team that he had Strucker, and was taking him to the quinjet. When T'Challa heard that, he made for the quinjet as well, to question Strucker before the Avengers turned him over to the authorities.

He had to kill a dozen more HYDRA soldiers on his way out of the castle. Rogers was already in there with the prisoner by the time he arrived.

"Prince T'Challa," Strucker said when he saw him.

T'Challa mentally commanded his helmet to disengage. It did. "How do you know who I am?" He knew the answer, but he had asked the question nevertheless.

"People talk, Your Highness. When I heard that a mysterious man in a bulletproof cat suit joined these circus freaks, I asked around. It didn't take long for me to find out."

"Ulysses Klaue…"

"Yes."

"I have no personal quarrels with you. Soon, you will be answering for your crimes and that's enough for me. Let us keep it that way, shall we?"

"Don't worry, I know when I'm beat. Klaue has a ship, the _Churchill_ , at the Salvage Yard. On the African Coast—"

"I know where the Salvage Yard is." T'Challa turned on his heels and walked out of the jet. If Klaue was in Africa, going back to New York with the Avengers would be a waste of time. He decided to say his goodbyes here, call Nakia and Okoye for backup, and then leave for the Salvage Yard.

"Prince T'Challa," Rogers said.

"Yes, Captain?"

"This might be a trap, you know."

"Probably, but we have never been so close to capturing that thief in twenty years. I promised my father that I would make him proud. And I promised my best friend justice. His parents were killed by Klaue."

"Then let us come with you. You fought by our side. Now it's our turn to fight by yours."

"Thank you, Captain, but no. Besides, _your_ fight is still far from over."

"Well, I wish you good luck, then. And if you need us, we'll be there."

In the meantime, Thor, Barton, Romanoff and Dr. Banner were approaching the quinjet. When he met T'Challa, the first thing Banner had asked was whether they had the technology to cure him of the "Other Guy." Shuri had promised to see if they could, but T'Challa doubted if she would have the time, for she had devoted herself to the creation of the Nexus.

"Are you really leaving without us, Your Highness?"

"Yes, Ms. Romanoff. It is time."

"Too bad. We could use another royal on the team," she said, looking at Thor.

"It was an honor, Ms. Romanoff. But like I was telling Captain Rogers, we have different battles to fight. Where is Mr. Stark, by the way? I would like to speak with him before I leave."

He wanted Shuri to stay in New York until the Klaue situation was sorted out. It was safer that way. He wanted Stark to promise him that he would keep her safe.

Barton shrugged. "We don't know. His com's off."

"Mr. Stark?" T'Challa asked, and indeed, no reply came. Well, he couldn't say he was surprised. "I will go find him," he told the others, and returned to the castle. He scanned the area with his Kimoyo beads, and headed toward the only two signs of life left in the building. In the meantime, he called Nakia and Okoye and told them about the new plan.

"Vasily Karpov?" Stark was asking another HYDRA leader, Dr. List. He was still in his suit, and had pinned the other man against a wall. "Who killed him?"

According to the mission report, Vasily Karpov was the one who had given the order to kill Howard and Maria Stark. Tony Stark had wanted to haunt him down and kill him, but they had found out that he was already dead. His body had been found in his house in Cleveland, with a strange rune carved on his chest, shortly after the HYDRA Uprising. Thor had told them the rune meant "vengeance" in an ancient language, and refused to say anything else. T'Challa suspected this was Sigyn's doing. Another thing he couldn't tell Stark.

"I—I don't know anything about Karpov, I swear! I'm just a scientist, I've never dealt with the politics of HYDRA."

"And what about the Winter Soldier? Where's he?"

"I—I don't know. He's never contacted HYDRA after Pierce died! He was never a willing operative anyway. Even Pierce could barely keep him under control."

Stark then choked him to death without hesitation.

"Be careful, Mr. Stark. Don't let vengeance consume your soul," T'Challa said. Only then, Stark realized he had an audience, and frowned. He would always be in a foul mood after questioning a HYDRA member about his parents' murder. T'Challa couldn't blame him, though.

He stepped out of his suit. "I appreciate the concern, Your Highness. But I think I'm good," he said, then turned to his suit. "Sentry mode."

"I'm not judging you, I'd do the same if someone murdered my family."

"Thanks… I guess."

"Strucker has surrendered. I thought you might want to know."

"Will he cooperate?"

"He already has."

"Great. Do you need an extra pair of hands?"

"Thank you, Mr. Stark, but no. Nakia and Okoye are already on their way."

"You still don't trust me, do you?"

"After Shuri first told me about you, I studied you carefully, Mr. Stark. I wanted to see if you were really the Merchant of Death, or something more than that. And do you know what I found? A picture of you, shaking hands with Ulysses Klaue."

Stark flashed him an angry smile. "Look, there are… conventions, okay? Yeah, I might have shaken hands with the guy back in the day. But that's all. I didn't sell him anything. He was talking about finding something new, a game changer. I didn't care. I didn't even know he was talking about vibranium."

"I trust you with my sister now. I want her to stay in New York until we deal with Klaue. Isn't that good enough for you?"

"She'll be safe, I promise."

"I'm glad your daughter and my sister are good friends, Mr. Stark."

"Yeah, me, too… Well, back to work." He crossed to the computers and began downloading the HYDRA files, and told JARVIS to send Hill a copy as well. Then he started looking around suspiciously.

"J, give me an IR scan of the room, real quick."

"The wall to your left," JARVIS said. "I'm reading steel reinforcement. And an air current."

He walked up to said wall and began inspecting it. "Please be a secret door, please be a secret door, please be a secret door… Yay!"

When the secret door revealed itself, he turned to T'Challa. T'Challa sighed. He had never seen someone with such a volatile nature before. One moment, he was perfectly mature and reasonable, the next, he was acting like a five-year-old. But T'Challa decided to go through the secret entrance with him. He wanted to see what else HYDRA was hiding.

"So, what's your other secret?" Stark asked as they descended the steps.

T'Challa frowned. "My other secret?"

"The suit makes you bulletproof, yes. But it can't enhance your stamina, or reflexes… What else does it take to become the Black Panther?"

The Heart-Shaped Herb. He wanted to know about the Heart-Shaped Herb. T'Challa decided not to tell him. Just because he wanted to work with Stark, it didn't mean he had to reveal every single one of Wakanda's secrets to the outsiders. "You're quite observant, Mr. Stark."

Stark didn't look like he would let his question go easily, but they both froze when they reached the end of the tunnel.

This must have been the part where HYDRA studied alien artifacts. There were Chitauri weapons everywhere, but what had really made them freeze was the Leviathan above them. T'Challa had seen those things on TV during the Battle of New York, but he had never thought he would see one up close. Not before Thanos sent here another army, at least.

They exchanged meaningful looks. _Nakia is right_ , he thought. Stark didn't need visions or time-travelers to know something was coming for them.

At first, Stark was terrified, but he quickly pulled himself together and started walking around the room. "Do you know when I first questioned my old man's legacy?" he asked all of a sudden.

"I can't say I do."

"In Afghanistan, when a bomb fell right next to me. One of my own."

T'Challa chuckled mirthlessly, wondering what he was trying to get at.

"I wasn't stupid, of course. I knew what people said behind my back. _Warmonger_. _Merchant of Death_. I just never believed there could be blood on my hands. I simply made the weapons, never fired them. I never started any wars. But others knew better. Because my name was written on those weapons, and all that bloodshed could be traced back to me."

He decided to be blunt. "What are you getting at, Mr. Stark?"

He grabbed a Chitauri gun. "I wish there was a name written on these, too."

Yes, Nakia was definitely right. This man might be many things, but he was no coward. He was just desperate. Desperate for allies, just like T'Challa.

"You wish to know who Loki's warmonger is…"

He put the weapon down, and pumped his fist in triumph. "Yes! Finally, someone gets it!"

 _You have no idea, Mr. Stark._ He wondered if he was ready to hear now. Perhaps, with questions about this "hypothetical" warmonger of Loki's, he could find out, and if he was ready, he could let Ana know. Stark needed to hear the truth from his daughter, no matter how desperate T'Challa was. Like Shuri had once said, trust went both ways.

But before he could ask Stark anything, his Kimoyo beads began to beep. It was his mother.

"Mother?"

"My son, you have to return to Wakanda at once!"

"But, Mother… I'm so close to finding Klaue…"

"Klaue is dead! Your cousin presented his corpse to the Border Tribe. Now he has challenged your father. He is planning to overthrow him."

"What? I—I don't have a cousin…"

"We will explain everything."

"But, _Baba_ is…"

"Too old for such a fight? He is. And your cousin is a ruthless man. But your father thinks he should accept the challenge nevertheless. That's why you have to come home, son. You can't let him do this."

"What about Shuri?"

She thought for a moment. "I think she will be safer with our new friends."

T'Challa ended the call. So, Klaue was dead, and Uncle N'Jobu had a son… It didn't make any sense. Why had Uncle N'Jobu hidden his child from them? But his mother didn't seem shocked at all. Like, she had already known…

 _No_ , he thought. _No, Father would have told us. He wouldn't have lied to us._

Then he looked at Stark, and realized that now he had to make a difficult choice. T'Challa considered himself a great warrior. But even great warriors could lose sometimes. There was going to be a ritual combat for the throne, and if he lost… If his cousin was a ruthless man like his mother said, he might not accept T'Challa's yield. He could kill him. He could kill his mother and father as well. That was why she had told him to leave Shuri with the Avengers.

But if T'Challa and his father died, who would prepare the world for Thanos? The Elders? No, they didn't fully understand the threat. W'Kabi? No, he didn't understand either. And his mother had said Klaue's corpse had been presented to the Border Tribe… Would his best friend betray him for vengeance? No, W'Kabi wouldn't do that. He was a loyal friend. He wouldn't do that to T'Challa. And certainly not to Okoye… But then, why had he let this man pass the border? There had to be an explanation, for sure.

"Shuri will be safe," Stark said firmly. "I'll protect her like my own."

T'Challa shook his head. "You can't…"

"Why not?"

"Because you don't know who is coming for them."

"What…"

"This is wrong. Ana trusted us… But if I lose the challenge… If I die… You have to know, Mr. Stark. There is no other way. The enemy is too dangerous to be left to children."

"What enemy?"

"JARVIS can tell you everything. All you have to do is to activate the Nexus Protocol."

"The Nexus Protocol? JARVIS doesn't have a protocol like that… Do you, JARVIS?"

JARVIS didn't reply. Well, Stark could figure out the rest on his own. This was a man who would move heaven and earth for his daughter, and luckily, it was the same enemy that threatened both her and Shuri. He was T'Challa's only hope now. He shot Stark one last look. Then he stormed off. Nakia and Okoye needed to know what was going on in Wakanda.


	9. Chapter 9

The return to Wakanda felt like it was taking an eternity. Okoye and Nakia barely spoke during the journey home. When they arrived, and T'Challa saw his mother standing alone on the tarmac, dressed in mourning clothes, he felt an awful jolt in his stomach.

"M—mother?"

"Your father accepted the challenge," she simply said, with her usual solemnity, but her lips were trembling.

T'Challa had thought he had left boyhood behind a long time ago. Oh, how wrong he had been… Now he was just a little boy who refused to believe his father was dead. He couldn't just picture him like that. He couldn't imagine anyone could beat him in a fight. Even without the Panther Habit and the Heart-Shaped Herb. Even if he had been there to witness the scene with his own eyes, even then, he didn't think he could believe it.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to keep the tears at bay. He didn't want to cry like a boy in front of Nakia and the Dora Milaje. _Vengeance_ , he reminded himself. That was what he needed to focus on right now. First, he was going to avenge him. Then he could weep for him all he wanted.

"He killed Zuri, too," she went on.

He clenched his fists angrily. Zuri… What kind of a monster would kill a shaman during ritual combat? Like challenging an old king wasn't dishonorable enough… "Where is that murderer now?"

"At the Warrior Falls, preparing for the ceremony."

He then looked at Nakia and Okoye, who were obviously waiting for his orders. "Then we will prepare for the ceremony as well."

They both nodded. T'Challa then took his mother and went to the office. Once they were alone, she threw her arms around his neck and began to cry. T'Challa was now crying, too. Neither of them said a word. They just cried quietly for a time. Then, his mother released him, and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand.

"I haven't told Shuri yet."

Shuri… Right now, she was probably still hoping T'Challa would save their father. How was he going to tell her that he had failed? He was supposed to be the protector of Wakanda, but he couldn't even protect his own father. He had died, defending the kingdom, while T'Challa was busy playing hero with a bunch of outsiders, because he had wanted the glory of killing Klaue for himself. Would his mother and sister be able to forgive him? Even if they did, did he deserve forgiveness?

"I am sorry, Mother…"

"Don't be. Your father fought well. He fought like a king."

"If I had been here, he wouldn't have had to."

"You couldn't have known."

"And what about you?" he suddenly asked. Now that he thought about it, his mother hadn't seemed shocked that she had a long-lost nephew. "Did you know? About Uncle N'Jobu's son?"

"Yes. Your father had shared his burden with me."

"I don't understand. If you and Father knew Uncle N'Jobu had a child, why didn't you bring him home?"

"It wasn't that simple."

"Make me understand, then. Mother, please…"

"Americans didn't kill N'Jobu!" she finally snapped. "Your father did!"

"W—what?"

"N'Jobu took an assignment in America. Zuri, too, was a War Dog back then. Your father sent him to observe, unbeknownst to N'Jobu. He fell in love with an American woman. They had a child. But after she was wrongfully imprisoned, it… changed your uncle. He started having dreams of Wakandan supremacy. But he knew your father would never agree to wage that war. He became even more desperate when the woman died in prison. So, he helped Klaue steal the vibranium."

"No," T'Challa said when he realized where this story was going. "No, no, no… He wouldn't…"

His mother went on, "When your father confronted him, N'Jobu tried to kill Zuri. He left T'Chaka no choice."

 _They left him. They left him with nothing. What kind of man would do that?_ And Zuri… T'Challa knew he used to be a War Dog, but it was hard to picture him like that. He had always seen Zuri as a man of peace, always tending his Heart-Shaped Herbs and telling stories of Bast and Sekhmet.

Tears filled his eyes again. But they weren't the tears of grief anymore, they were the tears of anger and betrayal. "So, he killed his own brother, abandoned his nephew, and lied to us…"

"Do you think it was easy for him?"

"What is the boy's name?"

"Erik Stevens. They call him the Killmonger."

"His _other_ name?"

"N'Jadaka."

"And _Baba_ kept telling us that lies weakened family… It is because of his lies I thought the world didn't deserve our help. What am I supposed to do now?"

"Killmonger is planning to finish what his father started! That is why he wants the throne. I think you know what you are supposed to do, son."

That helped him remember what was at stake here. Yes, his father had been wrong to lie to his family. He had been wrong to turn his back to the rest of the world. Erik Killmonger might be a monster of their own making, but T'Challa couldn't let someone who was planning to wage war on the rest of the world become king. Especially knowing that the world needed to be united against Thanos. And no matter what he might have done, King T'Chaka was still his father, and he had to avenge him.

…

Normally, preparations for a ritual combat like this would take weeks, but once again, Erik had shown that he had no respect for traditions. There were only a handful of representatives from each tribe. Killing the _Ungumbuali_ had indeed earned Erik a lot of supporters. W'Kabi seemed to be the most loyal of them. Seeing his best friend standing beside him like that hurt T'Challa almost as much as his father's death. Erik had thrown Klaue's dead body at his feet, and it had been enough for W'Kabi to betray their lifelong friendship.

" _I didn't betray anyone,"_ W'Kabi had defended himself. _"As the son of Prince N'Jobu, he is within his rights."_ But T'Challa could see who W'Kabi was hoping would win this challenge.

His mother sighed, looking at the witnesses, or rather their lack thereof. "I never thought your coronation would be like this."

 _Neither did I_ , he thought. He had thought his father would die peacefully in his bed, surrounded by his loved ones. Not killed at the Warrior Falls, at the hand of his own kin, haunted by secrets and guilt. And he had never imagined his own challenge day without his little sister standing there, watching him proudly. The truth was, however, he now wished his mother weren't here either.

If he lost, Nakia and Okoye would take good care of her. He had to believe that they would. And Shuri was surrounded by powerful friends. They would keep her safe.

He had never seen Erik Killmonger before, but when he saw the man whose eyes were burning with hatred, T'Challa realized it had to be him. His father's killer. His cousin. N'Jadaka, the son of Prince N'Jobu…

If they weren't related, T'Challa wouldn't hesitate to kill him. But they were, and something inside him changed the moment their eyes met. He loved his father, and he still wanted to avenge him, true, but he also wanted to be better than him.

King T'Challa shouldn't start his reign as a kinslayer. His legacy had to be a better one than his father's. That was the only way he could truly protect Wakanda. Or the whole world, really.

"The Prince will now have the strength of the Black Panther stripped away," a shaman said, snapping T'Challa out of his thoughts. He didn't hesitate. He went to one knee, and drank the potion that would take away the powers of the Heart-Shaped Herb. As it neutralized the herb's effects, his body started trembling uncontrollably. He could hear the drums, and see the people around him praying to Bast.

He had almost forgotten what it was like, to have the strength of an ordinary man. But he wasn't afraid. It wasn't the Heart-Shaped Herb that had turned him into a warrior. It was years of training and discipline. He could kill N'Jadaka without the heightened abilities and vibranium claws. The thing was, he didn't want to.

"This is your last chance. Throw down your weapons, and we can handle this another way."

"I lived my entire life, waiting for this moment. I trained, I lied. I killed, just to get here. I killed in America, Afghanistan, Iraq. I took life from our own brothers and sisters on this continent! And all this death, just so I could kill you!"

In the meantime, he took off his vest, then his t-shirt, revealing the scars on his body. He wasn't lying. He was lost, beyond hope. Apparently, killing his father and Zuri hadn't been enough to satisfy his thirst for blood. T'Challa still didn't want to kill him, but he was going to do whatever he had to do to protect his people. His family. He looked at the shaman, and nodded.

"Let the challenge begin," she said, and scurried away from them, probably afraid that she might share the same fate with Zuri.

It took less than five seconds for T'Challa to realize Erik Killmonger really lived up to his nickname. He was both strong and fast. And unlike T'Challa, he was fighting to kill. T'Challa decided that he wouldn't last much longer if he kept holding back.

"Yield!" he warned him one last time, after his sword grazed Erik's cheek. Perhaps he needed to realize he, too, could bleed, and then he might start thinking more reasonably.

But he barely noticed the cut. He wasn't afraid of death either, and it only made him more dangerous. T'Challa stopped holding back. Now he, too, was fighting to kill. This needed to end as quickly as possible.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't deliver a fatal blow. He had been able to open a few more cuts, but then, so had he. And T'Challa was pretty sure his wounds were deeper than Erik's.

 _I can't win_ , he realized. _I am going to die._ He didn't fear for himself, no. He feared for those he would leave behind.

In that brief moment of desperation, he gave Erik the opening he needed to kill him. Without hesitation, Erik drove his sword right through his abdomen, all the way to the hilt. He smirked, and whispered into T'Challa's ear, "This is it for you, cousin."

As he fell on his knees, T'Challa looked at his mother, who was watching the fight in horror. Then Nakia. She was never going to know how much he truly loved her. And Okoye… He should have told Okoye how grateful he was for everything she had done for them, for her loyalty and devotion.

He had failed them all.

But then, maybe there was one last thing he could do for them.

"Is this your king?" Erik bellowed. "The Black Panther, who is supposed to lead you into the future? Him? He is supposed to protect you!"

 _And I will._

It took all his remaining strength to pick up his sword and get up, but he did. Erik sighed impatiently, but managed to meet T'Challa's blow just in time. It was alright. T'Challa wasn't fighting to win. He was just trying to take Erik down with him.

"You are the son of a traitor," he hissed, just to taunt him. "A traitor who betrayed his people for a foreign whore!"

"And you are the son of a murderer!"

It was a dishonorable strategy, but at least it was working. Erik had become so angry that he didn't notice T'Challa was luring him to the edge of the cliff. Or perhaps he did, but he didn't care. He stabbed T'Challa again, and pushed him, but T'Challa was able to grab him by the wrist just before he fell.

The screams of his mother cutting through the roaring of the waterfalls was the last thing T'Challa remembered before darkness swallowed him.

…

 _I was right_ , he thought. Death was the end. There was no Ancestral Plane, no Bast and Sekhmet to lead him into the green velt where he could run forever. There was only darkness. His father must have been very disappointed. Shuri would be disappointed, too, one day.

But it didn't feel right. After all, hadn't he witnessed Bast's miracles? And if he was dead, how was he still able to think so clearly? How was he still able to feel his body? Then he realized he was only in the darkness because his eyes were closed. They felt heavy, but he forced them open, and found himself standing in the same place he had seen when he had taken the Heart-Shaped Herb for the first time. The aurora, the green velt, and the trees with Black Panthers perched on their branches. But this time, not all of them ignored him. One leaped from his tree, and when he landed, in a flash of colorful light, he turned into his father.

The Ancestral Plane. It was real.

Now that T'Challa knew what he had done, he had thought his father would seem like a different man to him, but he had been wrong about that as well. This was still his _Baba_. And T'Challa was the little boy who adored him as his greatest hero.

" _Baba_ ," he said, and went to hug him. Then he fell on his knees to beg for his forgiveness. "I am sorry I couldn't protect you."

"Don't blame yourself for my choices. Stand up."

"Am I dead?" This place was… beautiful, but he didn't want to be dead. Not yet. There was so much that needed to be done back in the land of the living.

"Not yet. But soon enough."

"I—I can't stay…"

"Why not?"

He took a step back from him, and looked him in the eye defiantly. He loved his father, but there were things that needed to be said. "Because I must right your wrongs. Why didn't you bring the boy home?"

"He was the truth I chose to omit. I chose my people. I chose Wakanda. Our future depended on—"

"Our _future_?" he snapped. After everything they had been through, how could he use that word to defend himself? "You know exactly where that future leads! I love you, _Baba_ , but you were wrong!"

He recalled Nakia's words.

" _I believe Princess Shuri. And I also believe the future she saw was a punishment for turning our backs to the rest of the world."_

As always, Nakia had been right.

He then looked at the other Black Panthers, and bellowed, "All of you were wrong! To turn your backs on the rest of the world! Your future will bring only death and destruction upon us! We let the fear of discovery stop us from doing what was right, and my sister, Princess Shuri paid the price in that future!" He paused, then changed his mind. "No, actually… No, she has been paying the price since she was six! But no more! I cannot rest, knowing what is coming for all of us!"

Another Black Panther leaped from the same tree, and this one turned into Uncle N'Jobu. T'Challa's jaw hung open. He just hadn't thought Uncle N'Jobu would be… around his brother.

"Now this is my nephew," he said with a proud smile.

"Uncle? So, you two…"

He put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "There is no room for hate and grudge here in the Ancestral Plane. Only peace and forgiveness."

"What about your son? Where is N'Jadaka?"

He shook his head. "He is not here."

So, he must have survived, then. Maybe there was still hope for him.

In the meantime, other ancestors were approaching them. Some were in their human form, others had remained as Panthers. They were all following the lead of one of these Panthers. Suddenly, the leading Panther stopped, and turned into a man T'Challa had never seen before.

"I am sorry," he said. "I don't know you."

The man smiled. "No, but I am sure you have heard of me, child. My name is Bashenga."

T'Challa immediately went to one knee. "The first Black Panther…"

"Rise, Prince T'Challa. Here, we are all equals."

T'Challa scrambled to his feet.

"Yes," Bashenga said thoughtfully. "We were all wrong. Even I… I thought Bast wanted me to unite the five tribes. But perhaps she wanted me to unite the world. And now, she chose your sister for that destiny. Go, child. I wish you and Princess Shuri all the good fortune in the world… Go."

 _T'Challa, wake up!_

 _Wake up, son!_

 _My prince?_

He recognized the voices of Nakia, his mother, and Okoye. Somehow, these voices were pulling him back from the Ancestral Plane, and he understood this was how he would go back. He didn't resist.

When he woke up, he found himself surrounded by Nakia, his mother, and Okoye, indeed. He was cold, though. Too cold. He looked down, and only then, realized his body was covered in snow.

"Where am I?"

"In the Jabari land," his mother said. "They found you in the river." Indeed, M'Baku was standing in the corner, watching them with a bored expression on his face.

"Right… And N'Jadaka?"

"Do you really have to call him by that name?" she scolded him.

"Mother, that _is_ his name… Anyway, do you have a blanket?"

Nakia went to fetch him a blanket, and he gratefully took it from her.

"Thank you," he told M'Baku once he gathered his strength. "You saved my life."

"It wasn't me. You were in a coma when one of our fishermen found you near the River Tribe border. All I did was to send word to your mother. If they hadn't come here with the Heart-Shaped Herb, you would be dead soon."

He turned to his mother. "You gave me the Heart-Shaped Herb?"

"It was Nakia's idea."

Of course it was. Nakia was the one who always came up with such brilliant ideas.

"The other one is here, too," M'Baku suddenly said.

"Can you take me to him?"

He gestured T'Challa to follow him. As they walked, T'Challa asked, "Why did you save me, M'Baku?" T'Challa and M'Baku weren't exactly friends. In fact, they had never liked one another.

"You were the first royal to come here in centuries," he sneered.

"It was your ancestors who chose to isolate themselves in the mountains," he reminded, and decided that the Jabari was a good place to start if he wanted to unite the world against Thanos. "But we can change that."

M'Baku gave him a skeptical look. "Why?"

"My sister has a destiny. Perhaps you heard—"

"Oh, yes," M'Baku smirked. "I heard the stories. The child who scoffs at tradition turns out to be Bast's chosen one… The gods do love irony, don't they?"

"Shuri doesn't scoff at tradition. She just understands why some things must change. She understands it better than any of us. There is a war coming, M'Baku. We should be prepared to fight as one."

"I will not give any Jabari lives for your cause. Don't bother."

"This is not a fight you can just stay out of. The enemy is coming for all of us."

"I saved your life, T'Challa, because I want something in return," M'Baku cut him off. "I hope you are planning to have a _proper_ challenge day?"

"Do you want to challenge me?"

"Perhaps." He stopped in front of a door and opened it. "Good luck with him." M'Baku patted on his shoulder, and walked away.

N'Jadaka was lying in a bed, but his eyes were open.

"Hey, cousin," he sneered. "What's up?"

"I am glad you are not dead, N'Jadaka. How are you feeling?"

"You know, that's funny you ask… 'Cause I ain't feel shit."

"N'Jadaka…"

"Nah, I'm serious. I feel nothing below the neck. They said I broke my spine. Hell of a wound. I bet you like that, huh?"

T'Challa gulped. Indeed, he wasn't moving in the bed. Not at all. He _couldn't_ move. He was just staring at the ceiling, and chuckling bitterly.

"No, I don't. I never wanted to fight you. You left me no choice. You turned into the people you hate so much."

"At least I learn from my enemies. Beat them at their own game."

"And look where that has brought you…"

"Yeah, tell you what," he said nonchalantly. "I don't know much about that challenge shit, but I guess someone has to either yield, or die before it's over. I'm not going to yield. You're going to have to kill me if you want to be king."

"Do you really want to die?"

" _This_ ain't life."

"Perhaps we can heal you. Let my sister take a look at you."

"Why? So you can just lock me up? Nah, just bury me in the ocean, with my ancestors that jumped from the ships. 'Cause they knew death was better than bondage."

"If our fathers were able to make peace, so can we."

He frowned in confusion. "What?"

"I saw them, when they gave me the Heart-Shaped Herb."

At first, T'Challa wasn't sure if he would believe him, but he must have, because tears brimmed in his eyes. Apparently, he, too, still had a boy hidden within him. "The Ancestral Plane… My pops used to tell me the stories. Can you believe that? A kid from Oakland running around believing in fairy tales."

T'Challa smiled. Of course he could believe. "What else did he tell you?"

"He said Wakanda was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He promised he'd show me one day. I guess I always knew I'd die in Wakanda… Just not in the Jabari Land."

"You're not going to die in the Jabari Land," T'Challa said, and went to find a stretcher for him.

…

On their way to the Mount Bashenga, their mother refused to even look at N'Jadaka. Okoye and Nakia were doing their best to be indifferent. N'Jadaka just gave him a _"See? That's why I have to die"_ look, but didn't say anything. They made it to the Mount Bashenga just in time for the sunset. They watched the scene under the Black Panther statue at the top in silence.

"It's beautiful," N'Jadaka said in awe.

"It is not too late to change your mind. You are right. Death is better than bondage. What if I told you something is coming to enslave us all? You can be a part of this fight. Help us liberate the whole world, you know."

For a brief moment, there was curiosity in his eyes, but then shook his head. "Why should I care? The world took everything from me. Everything I loved."

T'Challa sighed. He couldn't even unite his own family, his own people against Thanos. How was he going to unite the world?

"You won't leave me like this. Nah, you're too noble for that. But if you heal me, I'll try to kill you and your family again. You know I will. C'mon."

Before coming here, the Design Group had given him something. An injection that would give N'Jadaka a quick, painless death. "So, you want this?"

"Yeah. Better not keep my old man waiting. I'd do it myself, but, well… I can't use my hands."

T'Challa concluded that dragging this out would only torment them both. "Farewell, cousin."

…

The second most difficult thing T'Challa had to do today was to confront W'Kabi. T'Challa couldn't arrest him for betraying Wakanda, for he hadn't _officially_ done anything against the law, but he now knew he was ready to betray him. The only question was, why? So, he was locked up in the office. T'Challa decided to take Okoye with him. Whatever W'Kabi had to say, she deserved to hear it as well.

W'Kabi stood up when they entered, and looked at them defiantly.

"When did I lose you, W'Kabi?"

"When you chose those American buffoons over your own people," he spat.

"The Avengers?" he asked, taken aback. This wasn't the answer he had expected to hear.

"I tried to tell you, T'Challa. I tried to warn you. The world is changing. Soon, there will be only conquerors and the conquered. Your cousin understood that. But you… You chose to side with our enemies."

Okoye shook her head in disbelief. "What happened to you? When did the man I love become so hateful?"

"I waited, my love. I waited for twenty years to see my parents avenged. King T'Chaka failed. His son failed. But N'Jadaka proved himself."

"Do you think he cared about your parents? That he did what he did for justice? He just needed a way in. He must have decided to hasten his plans when he saw me with the Avengers and realized how close I was to finding Klaue!"

"He was of Wakanda. Of the royal blood. What else was I supposed to do?"

"You could have told me immediately. You could have waited until I returned to take him to my father! But you knew my father was going to accept the challenge, didn't you? A challenge he couldn't win. You wanted him to die."

"He supported your and your sister's madness. He wasn't fit to rule. And neither are you."

"How can you say that? You know there is a war coming."

"Only because you are bringing it upon us."

Okoye pointed her spear at him. "He confessed his crimes! What are your orders, my prince?"

W'Kabi looked at the spear, and then Okoye. "Would you really kill me, my love?"

"For Wakanda? Without question."

"I have seen enough death for one day," T'Challa said. "Arrest him."

Okoye nodded. W'Kabi didn't resist as she took him away. But he didn't seem to have any regrets either.

Now, it was time for the third most difficult thing he had to do today. He had to call his sister and tell her of their father's death.


	10. Chapter 10

Shuri still couldn't believe her brother had told Mr. Stark about the Nexus Protocol. Ana and her father must have had a devastating fight, because afterward, she told Shuri that they could no longer stay in the tower. They went to the mansion on Long Island. It was one of their few properties that weren't run by JARVIS, and for some reason, Ana didn't want her father to know what she would do next.

But Shuri wasn't worried about them. Mr. Stark was just confused and hurt. Once he processed the truth, they would be fine. What really scared Shuri was the reason why T'Challa might have done such a thing. He wouldn't have betrayed Ana's trust if he were 100% sure that he could handle this Erik Stevens.

Erik Stevens was a mercenary. An American black-ops soldier. His cruelty had earned him the nickname, "Killmonger," but there was nothing that could prove that he was Wakandan, and more importantly, Uncle N'Jobu's son, like her mother had said. And if he were really their cousin, how could Wakanda _possibly_ not know of his existence, with all that surveillance tech they had? No, if Uncle N'Jobu had had a son, he would have told his brother, and they would have brought the child home after Uncle N'Jobu's death. Wakandans would never abandon their own.

When T'Challa called her, she thought whatever this was, it was over. That they would no longer have to worry about Erik Killmonger again.

"So, what happened?"

"Shuri… I'm so sorry, little sister."

"Why?" she demanded, her relief vanishing as quickly as it had come.

"I think you know why."

"No, I don't," she said stubbornly, but he was right. She did.

" _Baba_ is dead. I'm sorry I couldn't save him."

 _No_ , she wanted to scream. _No, no, no…_ But when she opened her mouth, only a whimpering sound came out, like she was choking. She felt like she was choking, indeed.

"We flew as fast as possible, but he was already dead by the time we made it to Wakanda. He had accepted the challenge."

"W—what?"

He nodded.

"W—why? Didn't he know…" Their father was a great man, yes, but he was still just a man. Years had taken a toll on him. He was no longer the great warrior Shuri had heard so much about. He should have known that. Why had he accepted the challenge? "And what about the others? How did the Border Tribe let the Killmonger in in the first place?"

"W'Kabi betrayed us."

"W'Kabi? Why?"

"Erik gave him Klaue. But that was not all. W'Kabi, he… didn't approve of our new direction. He didn't like it when I joined the Avengers. He thinks the enemy will just go away if we bury our heads in the sand. There were others who agreed with him."

This only made the pain worse. "It is because of me, then. I am the reason you lost your friend. I am the reason Father died."

"W'Kabi and I were never friends, Shuri. I see that now. As for Father, he was haunted by guilt."

"Guilt?"

"He knew, Shuri. _Baba_ knew about the boy."

"The boy? You mean, Erik Killmonger? Is he really Uncle N'Jobu's son?"

"Yes. Uncle N'Jobu was obsessed with the idea of Wakandan supremacy. He knew _Baba_ would never support that madness. He betrayed Wakanda. He helped Klaue steal our vibranium. _Baba_ killed him to save Zuri's life."

"Zuri?"

"He was a War Dog, too, in his youth. He was sent to America to observe Uncle N'Jobu. Hard to believe, isn't it?"

"Did he tell you this?"

"Zuri is dead, too. He died trying to protect _Baba_ during the ritual combat."

"Did you kill that monster?"

"N'Jadaka, you mean? Yes."

"Did he suffer?"

"I think so."

"Good."

"Don't be so cruel to N'Jadaka."

Shuri looked at him, taken aback, and realized he didn't share her hatred. "How can you say that? _Baba_ might have lied to us, but he was still our father! How can you forgive his murderer?"

"Because even _Baba_ and Uncle N'Jobu were able to forgive each other. I saw them in the Ancestral Plane."

"Y—you did?" she asked, trying to understand if he was serious, or just trying to console her.

" _Baba_ is still with us, Shuri. I am telling you the truth. You were right. The Ancestral Plane, it is another dimension, indeed."

Under different circumstances, Shuri would be boasting about how her theory about the Ancestral Plane was right, but right now, she was too devastated to care.

"Do you remember how he would always tell us that lies weaken the family?"

"Yes, Shuri, I do. He wasn't perfect. But like you said, he was our father. And one day, we will be reunited with him. I saw King Bashenga, too."

"Really?"

"Yes. He gave us his blessing… Now, do you want me to come and take you home?"

"No, you stay with Mother. Is she alright?"

"She is strong. Are you still in the tower?"

"No, but we're still in New York."

"Right… I am truly sorry about that as well, sister. But I couldn't have taken any chances. What happened?"

"They had a fight. Mr. Stark thinks he needs a lobotomy, and Ana has been on a kind of hunger strike since we left the tower, but they will be fine. I'll see you soon, brother."

"Safe travels, little sister."

She decided to find Ana. She was going to have to tell her that her father had died. She didn't like the idea. For some reason, she felt like his death would become much more real once she started spreading the word. But it needed to be done. Besides, she really needed a friend right now.

Ana had to be in one of the bedrooms. The door was closed, but Shuri could hear her talking to someone on the phone.

" _Damn it, Fury!"_ she hissed angrily. _"You're the spy, you figure something out!"_

Shuri knocked on the door. _"I gotta go now,"_ Ana said, and a second later, Shuri heard the door being unlocked.

"What's wrong?" she asked the moment she saw Shuri's face.

"My father is dead." Saying it out loud had indeed made it more painful. She started crying, and Ana pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, Shuri, I'm so sorry."

"I must return home at once."

"Yeah, of course… You can borrow one of the quinjets if you want."

"I already summoned my Royal Talon. It will be here in a few hours. In the meantime, I'm going to pack my things."

"Let me help you."

Shuri had brought America two giant suitcases. One was for her clothes and other personal stuff, the second for her tech. Ana brought her the new vibranium case that contained the Mind Stone and the dismantled scepter. Shuri had thought extracting the stone from the scepter would make it easier to study, but it hadn't helped much. Discovering an element based on an Infinity Stone was a true challenge.

"I think you should have these."

"Are you sure?"

"Your resources are much more advanced than mine. Besides, one of us should focus on locating the other stones. That way, we can get it done faster."

"Is that what you and Fury were talking about?"

"Yes. He can help me find the stones."

"Come with me," she suddenly offered.

"What?"

"I just don't want to be alone right now. Stay in Wakanda, at least for a couple of days."

"But going to Wakanda with you… Are you sure it's a good idea? Especially now. Your people won't like it."

"If they were willing to put an outsider on the throne, I'm sure they can tolerate your presence as well." She gritted her teeth angrily when she recalled how they had betrayed her father because they were afraid of change.

"This Erik Killmonger… Was he not really your cousin?"

"He was, unfortunately."

"Then he wasn't exactly an outsider. You know that."

"I'm not using you to punish them, I swear. I just need a friend. And I really want you to see Wakanda."

She thought for a moment. "Well, I guess I could use a vacation."

…

"Hey, come over here! Trust me, you don't want to miss this," Shuri said as they approached the protective dome. Ana was busy sulking in a corner, hugging her knees.

"I know about your holographic dome. It won't really be a surprise."

She rolled her eyes. "Just come here."

With a disappointing lack of enthusiasm, she obeyed.

"Ready?" Shuri asked, and before Ana could answer, they flew through the dome.

"Wow. That was… much more realistic than I'd expected."

"I told you you wouldn't want to miss it."

She gave her a half-hearted smile. "Thanks, Shuri."

"Hey, I'm the one who is supposed to be in mourning!"

"I know. Sorry. But at least you know you'll see him again."

"Yes. I miss him so much already, but it's good to know that we'll be reunited one day. It helps."

"Once one of us dies, I'll never see Dad again. It will be game over."

So, it was what had been bothering her so much. "You can't know that for sure."

"I can, unless someone proves me wrong. With scientific evidence. As far as I'm concerned, this is the only life we have, and Thanos has already ruined it."

 _I can say the same about my life_ , she thought.

"You know, the existence of the Ancestral Plane isn't _scientifically_ proven either. But we know it exists."

"Speaking of, how can a plant take someone to another dimension?"

"I don't think it _takes_ you to the Ancestral Plane. It's not like it opens an inter-dimensional portal or anything. I mean, your body stays where it is when you consume the Heart-Shaped Herb. I think it temporarily lets you perceive the unique wavelengths of the Ancestral Plane, which overlaps with our dimension."

"The Herb enhances perception, the same way it enhances stamina and reflexes… It's a plausible theory," she murmured, but she was too busy admiring the scene before them. Shuri grinned. She knew Ana would love it here.

"Is this the Golden City?"

"Yep."

Ana seemed a bit nervous as they landed. T'Challa and their mother were waiting for Shuri on the tarmac. They had no idea she had brought Ana along. It would be a surprise.

"Relax, my brother and Nakia like you. And Mother will like you, too. Come on, let's go."

They emerged from the jet. Her mother frowned when she saw Ana.

"Don't blame her. It was my idea," Shuri said quickly.

"Hi," Ana said timidly. "I know this is a bad time, and I'm so sorry about King T'Chaka's death, but Shuri insisted."

Shuri's mother smiled. "Thank you, child. And don't worry, you are a welcome guest here. Shuri always speaks so highly of you."

Shuri held her mother's hands. "How are you feeling?"

"Proud. I'm glad you're home. Soon, your brother will have a _proper_ ceremony."

She then went to hug T'Challa. She knew they both had been waiting for this moment since they had found out their father was dead. She held him as tightly as she could, and he did the same. Without hurting her, of course. When he let her go, he turned to Ana. "Welcome to Wakanda, Ana. I'm glad you're here. I would like to apologize to you in person, for what I had to do in Sokovia."

"I don't blame you. I was keeping too many secrets from my father. It was only a matter of time."

"You only wanted to protect him. But he had to know."

"Well, I'm sure he'll be willing to work with you now."

"To tell the truth, I'm very disappointed in him."

Ana frowned. "Why?"

"You don't know? He decided to retire from the Avengers. He is planning to move the team to another facility in Upstate New York, but he will stay in the tower."

"It's probably just a safety precaution. He doesn't want to put the entire Manhattan at risk."

"That's not all, though. As I said, he retired. Ms. Potts said he barely eats, sleeps, or speaks. She was surprised when he agreed to speak with me."

Ana let out a troubled sighed.

"Talk to him, Ana. He needs _you_ right now."

"No, he doesn't. He doesn't want to see me anymore."

"I also told the rest of the team the truth. Your father left me no other choice. They need to be prepared for Thanos."

"Of course. I understand."

"It is good to see you again, Ana," Nakia broke in. "Come on, let me show you around."

Gods, Nakia was just awesome. Shuri hadn't said a word, but Nakia had understood that Shuri needed to have a moment with her family in private, but she didn't want to leave Ana by herself after dragging her here like this either. Ana must have understood, too, because she nodded quickly, and followed Nakia. It didn't escape Shuri's notice that Ana and Okoye exchanged smiles. Shuri had never thought Okoye could get along well with an outsider, but they had been warming up to each other after Okoye had pushed Ana—while she was wearing one of her father's suits, of course—off the roof of the Avengers Tower. It was an unusual way of starting a friendship, but it had helped Ana overcome her fear of heights. Now she could be the heiress to the Iron Man mantle as well.

Shuri, T'Challa, and their mother looked at each other. They had so much to discuss.

…

The first dinner without _Baba_ felt… wrong. Every time Shuri looked at his usual seat, a part of her hoped that he would appear out of thin air and dine with them, like nothing had happened. She had to keep reminding herself that death wasn't an end. But while it might be true for the dead, it was certainly an end for those who had stayed behind.

She was also touched that they had waited for her to come home to bury their father and Zuri. Shuri had always imagined Zuri to be the shaman to present T'Challa as their new king. People were singing the traditional dirges as their bodies were being taken from the Citadel to the catacombs. Their spirits had found peace in the Ancestral Land; now Zuri's body would rest with the previous shamans, and King T'Chaka's the previous kings and queens of Wakanda.

After the funeral, she went to her lab. Shuri and T'Challa had agreed not to test the Elders' patience by bringing Ana to the funeral, so Shuri had taken her to Mount Bashenga. At least she wouldn't get bored until Shuri returned.

Shuri found Ana in her private lab, with a bottle of Scotch in her hand. She didn't even want to know where she had found that bottle.

"Hey! No drinking in my lab!"

"My father disowned me, give me a break."

Shuri rolled her eyes. Ana was drunk already. "Don't be such a drama queen, he didn't _disown_ you. And I didn't bring you all the way to Wakanda so you can lock yourself up in my lab and drink your sorrows."

"I'm not drinking my sorrows, I'm admiring your Sonic Stabilizers," she said, looking out the window.

"Don't get jealous now."

"Come on, we both know that's exactly why you brought me here."

"I like impressing people with my genius. But only the people I like. So, count yourself lucky." She chuckled, snatched the bottle from her hand, put it in a cupboard and locked it.

"Hey, you didn't have to do that. I'm not an alcoholic."

"Well, then you're going to have to prove it."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. Suddenly, she was on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry I can't be the friend you need right now. I just feel awful."

"You know, your dad is only one phone call away. He loves you."

"I don't deserve that love. Not after what I did to him. You know, for some reason, Dad despises liars with a passion. He had to learn to work with them in the end, of course. After all, SHIELD was a spy organization, but his opinions on liars never changed. He never stopped mocking Romanoff about being a triple impostor, for example. Everyone thought he was joking around as usual, but I knew it truly bothered him. Then he found out his own daughter was something even worse than a triple impostor."

"Look, Ana… _Baba_ lied to us as well. All our lives, he looked us in the eye and told that our Uncle N'Jobu was killed by Americans, and his body was never found. Both T'Challa and I agree that it was wrong on so many levels. But we never doubt his love for us. He thought he was protecting us, just like you thought you were protecting your dad."

"It's not just Thanos. After the boarding school, I was so cruel to him all the time. I lost count of how many times I broke his heart. Only when he was kidnapped in Afghanistan, I realized I'd been taking everything for granted."

"You were hurt. And now, so is he. Don't repeat the same mistakes. Call him."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

She shrugged.

Shuri sighed. She was never going to understand how these two could make everything so complicated while they loved each other so much. She decided to try a different strategy, and keep her distracted for the time being.

"Hey, there's something I've been meaning to show you. I want to know what you'll think." She showed her the Berserker Staff scans. "Nakia and T'Challa found this in Ireland while searching for Asgardians.

That seemed to have piqued her interest. "When?"

"Oh, that was long before I met you."

"Interesting. Where's the original staff now?"

"A paganist hate group found all the three pieces, but then SHIELD confiscated it. In fact, according to our resources, your favorite SHIELD agent was involved."

"Coulson?"

Phil Coulson was a SHIELD agent who had been killed by Loki, and then mysteriously brought back from the dead. Ana had figured out that he was alive during her time at the Academy, and told the Avengers the truth. Coulson's prodigy, Skye, was very angry with Ana because of that. Shuri had never met that girl, but she knew Skye had hacked the SI servers once, as a Rising Tide hacker, at least until Ana had locked her out, but then she had somehow joined SHIELD. She and Ana had met at the Academy once, while Coulson's team was there for an investigation. They had made a good first impression on one another, and Ana had promised to keep Coulson's secret. But when SHIELD had collapsed, and Ana had broken her promise, Skye's opinion on her had changed completely.

These days, Coulson and his inner circle were trying to rebuild SHIELD.

"Yes. But if SHIELD had it..."

"Then HYDRA might have got their hands on it… What does it do, exactly?"

"I'm not sure. It definitely interacts with the human nervous system. The hippocampus, to be specific. I think it triggers certain memories."

Ana's face wrinkled in disgust. "Mind control?"

"Probably. But after all this time, we still haven't been able to reverse engineer it."

"It kind of reminds of Thor's hammer. The atomic structure, I mean. Dad and I have never been able to reverse engineer it either. It's way too complex. Dad thinks the hammer's 'enchantment' is some kind of security protocol. Like, being 'worthy' actually means having Thor's fingerprint. But he hasn't been able to prove that theory either."

"You tried, didn't you? To lift the hammer?"

"Of course I did. But nope, it didn't even move."

"And what does Thor himself say about his hammer?"

She chuckled. "That it was forged in the heart of a dying star by dwarves."

"Pfft."

"But not all alien stuff is so sophisticated. I mean, reverse engineering the Chitauri tech is a piece of cake."

Ana had invented an anti-alien bullet using the Chitauri scrap metal she had found around after the Battle of New York, just to be able to threaten Loki.

"Do you still experiment with the Chitauri tech?"

"Sometimes… What about those?" Ana asked, pointing at Shuri's gauntlets.

"Vibranium gauntlets, obviously."

"Yes, but are they _just-in-case-I-get-into-a-fight_ gauntlets, or _I'm-gonna-give-Thanos-hell_ gauntlets?"

"Both," she said, though she wasn't sure if sonic energy blasts would be enough to give Thanos hell. But then, even if sonic blasts couldn't hurt him, what else could? "Speaking of, now that you're no longer scared of flying, when am I going to see your _I'm-gonna-give-Thanos-hell_ suit?"

"Oh, I'm planning to start with something less ambitious. Like a stealth suit."

Stealth. Of course. Ana was ever the sneaky type. "What do you have in mind?"

"Retro-reflective panels for cloaking, OLEDs for active camouflage… Don't worry about it. Right now, we need to focus on the element."

"Right. Let's get to work."

…

That was how they spent the days until T'Challa's coronation. Working on the Mind Stone element. Again, Ana hid in the lab during the coronation. Everything went well. M'Baku challenged T'Challa for the throne, but that was expected. M'Baku lost the challenge, and T'Challa convinced him to yield. After the ceremony, they went to the herb garden and T'Challa retook his powers.

"Tell your friend to get ready," he told Shuri afterward. "I am taking you girls to California."

"California? Why?"

"You will see why," he said, and refused to tell Shuri anything else, no matter how hard she pressed.

Shuri had expected a more fun destination, but no. T'Challa had taken them to Oakland instead. They were standing in the middle of a basketball court. There was no one else around except for a bunch of kids playing.

"You know, when you said you would take us to California, I thought you meant Coachella. Or Disneyland," Shuri complained. "Why here?"

"This is where our father killed our uncle."

Yes. Their father had done such a thing. And they were going to have to live the rest of their lives with that knowledge. "They're tearing it down," she said, looking at the warning sign on the building. "Good."

"They are not tearing it down. I bought this building. And that building. And that one over there. This will be the first Wakandan International Outreach Center. Nakia will oversee the social outreach. And you will be responsible for the science and information exchange."

Shuri laughed. She thought she knew her brother so well, yet she seriously hadn't seen that one coming. "You're kidding?"

"Yeah?" He deactivated the cloaking mode of the Royal Talon that had been hovering above them to prove his point. The kids had stopped playing and were now gaping at the aircraft.

T'Challa turned to Ana this time. "I was going to ask for your help as well. I might be a new king, but I am not naive. When the world finds out what we have, some will be scared. Seeing us working with a familiar face might help them feel less threatened. You will be given an office, as the representative of Stark Industries. What do you say?"

"As long as you don't need me to go back to New York, I'm game… Uhm, I think you guys should talk to those kids, or your jet is going to end up in a junkyard."

Yes, the kids were talking about breaking it apart and selling it. Shuri ran up to them, while Ana and T'Challa were busy discussing the details of the collaboration.

So, Wakanda was no longer going to hide in the shadows. This was going to be awesome.


	11. Chapter 11

After that speech at UN in Vienna, T'Challa was quite busy, both convincing his own people that this was the right thing to do, and the outsiders that Wakanda only wanted peace and their technology was no threat to the world. Shuri didn't understand how some people could be so stupid. If Wakanda had ever wanted to take over the world, they would have done it centuries ago.

Shuri was busy as well. With the Design Group, she had finally made great progress on the Mind Stone element. The nucleus was ready. In the meantime, so many scientists from all around the world had applied to work at the Outreach Center in Oakland, and Shuri had received a lot of impressive resumes.

The first actual refugee that had been admitted into Wakanda was, surprisingly, Sergeant James Barnes. What was even more surprising was that it was Sigyn who had brought him. T'Challa had given her a heads-up, but when the Asgardian entered her lab, the sight of her made Shuri's blood boil with anger.

"You," she hissed. "How dare you come here, after turning your back on us in Norway?"

"Calm down, sister," T'Challa said, and put a hand on her shoulder. "I was the one who said she would always be welcome in Wakanda."

"I'm truly sorry about that," Sigyn said, with a solemnity that infuriated Shuri even more. Still, curiosity prevailed over her anger.

"Really? You threatened to kill us, for Bast's sake!"

"I know. It was just an idle threat to scare you away."

"What changed your mind now?"

"Many things. I want you to know that I'm ready to do my part now."

"Sorry, honey, but we don't need your help anymore. We figured out how to stop Thanos."

"So I've been told. I'll try to give you as much time as I can, by keeping the Allfather alive while you invent the Nexus."

"Allfather? Odin, you mean?"

"Yes. He is one of the most powerful beings in the universe. I don't think Thanos will make his move while Odin still lives, no matter how weakened he might be."

"If he is so powerful, why is he weakened?"

"He is old. He should have gone into Odinsleep years ago. But neither of his sons were ready to take the throne. So, he was forced to remain awake. He lost his queen to the Dark Elves. He lost his son. At least, he thought he did. Twice."

"I believe that's on your husband."

She flashed her an apologetic smile. "True. But he is the reason you were able to figure out what the Nexus was."

"Is he really on our side now?" Shuri asked skeptically.

"He is. You have my word."

They paused when Okoye approached T'Challa hastily and whispered something in his ear.

"I must go now," he said, but he didn't seem worried, so Shuri concluded that there was nothing to fear. "Shuri, I trust you will be nice to our guests?"

"Of course," she said with the most innocent smile she could muster.

After he left, she realized she still hadn't introduced herself to Sergeant Barnes, who was standing awkwardly beside Sigyn. She had also realized that his metal arm was missing. "Hi, I'm Shuri."

"Bucky." He shook her hand.

"Sorry. I'm not sure if you know what that was about, but…"

"Steve said something about the end of the world. And a genocidal alien."

"Well, you're not wrong." She turned to Sigyn again, crossed her arms and leaned against the desk. "You know, I still don't know how you're involved in this. For some reason, Loki thought you could help us, and you obviously knew about Thanos before the Battle of New York."

Sigyn thought for a moment. "I suppose you're not going to trust me unless I give you a satisfying answer…"

Shuri nodded.

"I received a vision, too. I saw Thanos forcing me to kill my husband. For decades, I lived in fear because of that vision. I would love to tell you the rest, and soon, I will, but I cannot do it without permission from the Sorcerer Supreme."

"Sorcerer Supreme?"

"There is magic in your world, Princess. That's all I can say for now. But I'll talk to her as soon as I can."

"Well, we already lost too much time because of you. Try to hurry up."

"Believe me, I've been quite busy lately. And last week, I lost a friend."

Shuri gave her a questioning look.

"Peggy Carter."

"Oh. The other founder of SHIELD…"

"Yes."

Perhaps for the first time, Shuri felt sorry for her. T'Challa had once said she seemed lost. Now Shuri understood why.

"Try not to judge me too harshly, Princess. You, of all mortals, should understand my reservations. Howard and Maria were my friends. When Heimdall warned me about HYDRA, I made a choice to tell Howard the truth. And they died because of something I knew. You live in the most technologically advanced nation in Midgard. What would you do, if your friends died because of something you knew?"

Not knowing what else to say, she said, "I'm sorry for what happened. I hope killing Vasily Karpov helped you feel better."

"It did. But I'm going to feel a lot better once the Winter Soldier is destroyed. And the only way to destroy the Winter Soldier is to bring Sergeant Barnes back. Fully."

"What exactly happened to him?"

"This book will tell you everything you need to know." Sigyn handed her a red book with a single star on the front cover. "When we first met, he didn't remember who he was. I helped him get his memories back, but there was only so much I could do without a Soul Forge."

Shuri sighed. Asgardians… She told Griot to create a digital copy of the book, and translate it into English. The texts were written in Russian. She didn't speak Russian.

When Griot translated the book, Shuri realized it was actually a manual on how to use the Winter Soldier. Gods, this was one of the most inhumane things she had ever seen…

"Alright, I don't know what a Soul Forge is, but it seems like Sergeant Barnes' brainwashing includes a verbal trigger sequence to activate the Winter Soldier programming."

Barnes nodded. "Every time they got me out of my cryo cell, they spoke the same words… And I couldn't fight back."

"No one could," Shuri said, hoping it would make the poor man feel a bit better. "This is pretty advanced neuroscience, at least for its time."

"It was Arnim Zola," Barnes said.

"Zola? The man who wrote the algorithm for Project Insight?"

He nodded.

"What a waste of genius… The guy was able to upload his consciousness into cyberspace, long before the invention of flash drives, yet he chose to work for a Nazi death cult."

Well, not that there was anything as primitive as flash drives in Wakanda's history, but Shuri liked reading about how science and technology had evolved in the rest of the world, mostly for laughs. Floppy disks were her personal favorite, for example. _Maybe I will open a museum in Wakanda_ , she thought. It was a good idea. It could help Wakandans understand the outside world better.

"Can you heal him?" Sigyn asked, snapping her out of these thoughts.

"I think I can, yes. If I develop an algorithm to flush the influence of the trigger words out while retaining the core context, and the content of the original memories…"

"Good. Then I can go back to Tonsberg. I left the Allfather in my sister's care, but she is a warrior, not a healer."

"And what are you, exactly?"

"I am both, Shuri. Just like you," she said, looking around her lab, then turned around and left.

" _Soul Forge_ ," Shuri muttered angrily, shaking her head, once Sigyn was gone.

Barnes chuckled. "Sigyn respects you. A lot. Why are you so angry with her?"

"Because we lost too much time because of her. We went to her for help, you know. After the Battle of New York. If she had told us what the Infinity Stones were, we could have figured out how to build the Nexus a long time ago. Do you have any idea how long it takes to discover a new element? And we have to discover not one, but five!"

"Look, I'm grateful your brother offered me sanctuary here, but the treatment can wait. You seem quite busy."

"Don't worry about that, I like multi-tasking."

"What exactly are you going to do to me?"

"Basically, I'm going to reboot you," she said, and started preparing the scanner.

"How long will it take?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I can't trust my own mind. If it's going to take a while, maybe I should be put back under."

She rolled her eyes. "You underestimate my genius. Lie on this table. I am going to take a look at your brain."

He obeyed. When Shuri saw his brain scan, she gasped in shock. "So many dead gray cells…" It was a miracle he was alive, to be honest.

"They would wipe my memories after every mission," he stated in a matter-of-factly tone.

"But I was right," she said quickly to cheer him up. "I can run an algorithm to undo your programming. You will still be you, don't worry. The Winter Soldier will be completely destroyed, like Sigyn said. But what is more exciting is that this algorithm will bring us closer to _actual_ Artificial Intelligence."

Programs like Griot or JARVIS were cool, but a true AI, one that could take initiative, with its own opinions, feelings and predictions… That was what Shuri was really after. And now, thanks to Sergeant Barnes, it was no longer just a fantasy.

"I don't even know how that's possible, but I'm glad something good will come out of it, at least."

"Alright, you can get up."

Slowly, Barnes got on his feet. He still seemed nervous. Even if he was aware of the technological marvels around him, he seemed completely indifferent to them. Shuri always expected outsiders to admire what they had here, but then, she remembered that the scientists this American had met hadn't exactly been kind to him. And surely he hadn't had much fun in the labs he had been to.

"Sergeant Barnes," she said softly. "No one is going to hurt you here. We are not HYDRA."

"I know," he said, almost apologetically.

"Now that I have your brain scan, feel free to take a look around."

"Actually, uhm, is there a way I can call Steve? My phone has no service here."

Of course it didn't. "Here, use mine." She gave him her phone, and busied herself with the new algorithm while Barnes let Captain Rogers know he was doing alright.

"Thank you," he said as he gave the phone back afterward.

"What happened to your arm?"

"An accident," he replied, but Shuri didn't believe him.

"Let me guess, Sigyn ripped it off, didn't she?"

"It was actually his sister."

"You Americans are so weird. Someone rips your metal arm off, and you become friends with them."

He laughed. "They also chased me on rooftops… with swords in their hands."

"I'm surprised they didn't kill you."

"They wanted answers. Like, who gave the order, and what they did with the other doses."

"What doses?"

"You don't know? Howard Stark had produced five more doses of the supersoldier serum after testing the first one on Sigyn. My mission wasn't just to kill him, it was also to steal the serum."

"I knew Sigyn had been given the serum but… What happened to the other doses, indeed?"

"HYDRA created more people like me. Thankfully, they weren't active. They were in cryo cells in a secret bunker in Siberia. Sigyn helped me remember the location. I took them to that bunker and we killed the other Winter Soldiers. Even without the serum, they were too dangerous. It was the safest way."

"Probably," she agreed. "And then what happened?"

"I had my memories back, so I had to see Steve. Sigyn promised that she would find a way. And when Peggy died, we went to London, for the funeral. Peggy's family knew who Sigyn really was, so they made the arrangements. She brought him to me after the funeral. Steve wasn't alone, though. There were others."

"Who?"

"Natasha Romanoff… I almost killed her once, you know. Seeing her again was a bit awkward. But Stark was even worse."

"Wait, Tony Stark?"

"Yeah, with his girlfriend. I think he would've tried to kill me, if he hadn't been too busy asking Sigyn questions about Thanos."

So, Mr. Stark had finally stopped being a hermit. That was progress.

"But I couldn't stay in London either. Peggy's great-niece works for the CIA. She could get into a lot of trouble because of me. So, that's how I ended up here."

"You're Wakanda's first refugee, you know. Come on, there's so much for you to learn."

…

Barnes occasionally had to come to Shuri's lab, but other than that, he chose to live among the Border Tribe. Shuri couldn't say she was surprised. He must have wanted a simple life after everything he had been through. Still, he knew about Thanos, that they were going to need every soldier they could find, so he had promised that he would fight for them when the time came.

As she expected, the algorithm worked. She was so confident about the results that she decided to use the actual trigger sequence on Barnes to prove that it had no influence on him anymore. He was reluctant at first, but his relief was beyond words when he realized his mind was his own again.

As for his missing arm, Shuri had two different options. She could make him a vibranium prosthesis, or use Extremis to help him grow his arm back. However, when she told Ana, she said while she didn't blame Barnes for what he did, the Extremis formula belonged to her dad, and no one should use it without his permission. Shuri knew Mr. Stark would never let his work be used to help Barnes, so she decided to spear herself the headache and didn't even bother. Barnes said he would never forgive himself if Shuri had a quarrel with her best friend because of him, so they decided to go for the first option.

Shuri didn't know why Ana still refused to bring her father into the fold. Mr. Stark had indeed stopped being a hermit, moved into the new Avengers compound, and even done some charity work recently. He and Ana had presented the September Foundation at MIT together. Shuri had watched the whole thing on YouTube. During the presentation, he had called her his "greatest creation," so Shuri didn't think he was still mad at her. Ana had also said Ms. Potts was expecting a baby. Shuri wished Ana would go back to New York. Her father—and the other Avengers—could help her find the remaining Infinity Stones. The Mind Stone element was almost ready, but there were still four more elements to worry about. But Ana was still living in Oakland, and relying on Fury's resources to locate the stones. If only Shuri knew why.

…

"Do you know what HYDRA did with the vibranium Ring Blades?" Shuri asked Bucky while he was testing his new vibranium arm. He seemed impressed.

"Ring Blades?" he asked, puzzled.

"Von Strucker bought some vibranium from Klaue, and used it to make a pair of Ring Blades. For whom, we have never been able to find out. I thought you might know."

He thought for a moment, then said, "No idea. Sorry."

Well, it was a long shot, but Shuri had thought maybe it was for one of the other Winter Soldiers. So, she had asked him.

"Princess, there has been an update on SHIELD," Griot said.

With the recent Inhuman Outbreak, SHIELD had resurfaced, with an Inhuman director, though according to the War Dogs' intelligence, he wasn't really an Inhuman.

"Show me," she said. Bucky, too, seemed interested.

It wasn't good. Daisy Johnson—this was Skye's name now, and she was one of the most well-known Inhumans—had shot an American general named Glenn Talbot. It didn't make any sense. Director Mace had presented her as a hero to the public a while ago. But then, the news reporter also said Mace was dead.

"What the hell?" Bucky muttered.

 _What the hell, indeed._ "I'm calling Ana," she decided. "If anyone knows what's going on with SHIELD, it's her."

But Ana didn't answer her phone. Shuri tried calling her office, but no one was there either. Finally, she decided to call Nakia, who was in Oakland right now. Thankfully, at least Nakia answered.

"Nakia, hey! Have you seen the news?"

"SHIELD?"

"Yes. Do you know what that shooting was about?"

"Shuri, I am not a spy anymore, you know."

"I know, but still… Where is Ana?"

"She left the Outreach Center a few minutes ago… In her suit. Why?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to see what she knows of this."

"Alright. Tell your brother I will be home soon."

She grinned. She and T'Challa were in a relationship again. "I will. See you soon."

…

The next day, Ana called her and told her that she was at the compound in New York. Finally. She had also said Daisy Johnson hadn't shot anybody, that it was an LMD built by a rogue android named AIDA. AIDA had caused SHIELD a lot of trouble, and now Coulson's inner circle was missing. But Ana didn't even have the time to worry about them now. Neither did Shuri.

When the Mind Stone element was finally ready to be synthesized, Shuri called Ana to let her know, but it was Ms. Potts who answered. She said Ana and her father had gone to find an Infinity Stone, but they would be back soon. Shuri thanked her, congratulated her on her pregnancy, and hung up, but something didn't feel right. Ms. Potts just seemed… evasive. And anxious. Perhaps she wasn't happy to send her boyfriend and step-daughter on a dangerous mission to retrieve an Infinity Stone, but Shuri had a feeling like there was more.

After a week of radio silence, she received a call from Ana at last. She didn't seem happy, though, so Shuri assumed the mission was a failure. Still, she wanted to know the details.

"Hey, where have you been? Tell me everything."

"I will," she said gravely.

Shuri frowned. "Ana? Are you okay?"

"There are… things, Shuri. Things I should have told you a long time ago."

"Alright, better late than never."

"We weren't on a mission to find an Infinity Stone. I was never looking for the stones."

"What?" She was now praying that this was just a bad joke. How could she _not_ be looking for the stones? Didn't she know what was at stake here? Weren't they in this together?

"There was a book. Years ago, I had an internship at Momentum Labs. That was when I first heard of it. A book that shows you what you want to know the most. It's called the Darkhold."

At that moment, the truth dawned on her. The truth that Ana had been playing with her, like she had been playing with everybody else. Shuri had seen how easily, skillfully Ana did it, yet it had never once occurred to her that she, too, might be being played with. She had been a fool to think she was an exception.

"The Darkhold," she repeated angrily. Her whole body was shaking with rage. "And you never told me…"

"I couldn't. _I_ knew about the book. It was meant to be my problem. Not yours. Infinite knowledge, Shuri… Do you think that power comes without a price? The Darkhold corrupts the mind, drives you mad. I couldn't have asked you to make the sacrifice."

"Because _you_ get to decide what's best for everyone, right?"

"What else was I supposed to do?"

"You were supposed to tell me! We were supposed to decide how to proceed together, as a team!"

"There was nothing to decide, Shuri. Collecting the Infinity Stones and studying them? There was no time for an RPG quest like that!"

"See? You're doing it again. How were you even sure that the book was going to work?"

"Because the future me said it would."

"What? I thought you showed me the footage. Was there more?"

"Yes."

"This is your last chance to tell me the truth. The _whole_ truth."

"When I first recalled the rumors about the Darkhold, I went to the Momentum Labs HQ in Pasadena. It had been shut down in 2012. Dr. Lucy Bauer was dead, her husband was in a coma. I wanted to see if it had anything to do with the book. Fury was there, waiting for me."

"So, you met him in Pasadena, not in Malibu…"

"He told me the book was real, and that we had to find it. You see, the time-traveler's plan was perfect. She knew Fury would recover her body, and bring her back to life."

"WHAT?"

"Fury used some alien medicine to bring people back from the dead. He resurrected her, just like he'd later resurrect Coulson. Fury had been following her instructions all along."

"And you didn't tell me this? _Bhentse emfene, hambo kunya! Ngqundu wako!_ " She didn't think Ana would understand Xhosa curses, but there weren't any swear words in English that could express what she felt right now.

"Do you want to hear the rest, or not?" Ana asked calmly.

"Alright. Keep going." She wanted to see how worse this could get.

"The time-traveler didn't tell him where the Darkhold was. Instead, she told him that I had to follow it to Hell."

"Well, I, too, think you belong in hell, but… What is that supposed to mean?"

"At first, it didn't make any sense to us either, but then we realized Hell was another dimension. The Darkhold caused SHIELD a lot of trouble, and there was this guy, Robbie Reyes… He took it to Hell for safekeeping in the end. SHIELD had built an inter-dimensional gateway, so we used it to travel to Hell."

" _We_?"

"My dad found out what I was up to. It was a part of the plan, though. The time-traveler wanted us to go there together. She said there was a solution in Hell waiting for us."

From now on, no matter what he did, Shuri would never blame the poor Mr. Stark. The gods had already cursed him with such a lying, scheming, back-stabbing, manipulative bitch as his daughter.

"So, who read the book?"

"Look, like I said—"

"Who read the damn book, Ana?"

It was either Ana, or her father. Shuri just couldn't imagine either of them letting the other make the sacrifice, but they must have made a choice in the end.

Ana closed her eyes before answering. "My grandfather."

"Y—your grandfather? Like, Howard Stark?"

"He was the solution, Shuri. He read the book."

"So, is he…"

"Back in town? Yeah. We couldn't leave him in that place. Don't ask me how it can be possible, even he doesn't have all the answers."

"Wait… You didn't know he would be there, did you?"

"No."

Shuri laughed bitterly. "So, the future you asked her father to travel to another dimension, and didn't even tell him what to expect? See, this is exactly who you are, Ana! This is what you do to people you claim to love so much! You use their love and trust to torment them!"

She bowed her head in remorse, but Shuri didn't care. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"No. That's all."

"I hope so…"

"I'm sorry, Shuri. I really am."

"You think you can do all these because you're so smart, don't you? Well, let me tell you something. It's not because you're smart. It's because you don't hesitate to stab those who trust you in the back. You're incapable of feeling guilt. That's why lies come so easily to you. And I think deep down, you enjoy it."

"Your father lied to you, too. You forgave him."

"Well, you're not my father, are you? I can't believe I once defended you against my own family. I defended you while you were still a spoiled, cruel bitch who enjoyed the fortune your daddy made as a warmonger! You were the first outsider I trusted, and this is what you do to me! How am I ever going to trust anyone now?"

"Look, I only left you out because the time-traveler couldn't predict your involvement in this. You weren't a part of her equation. The plan was solid; I couldn't have risked it."

"So, is that what I am to you? Just another variable in your equations? And you wonder why you don't have any friends…"

"Oh, come now, Shuri. You approached me in the first place because I was a variable in _your_ equation. Not because you cared about me or anything."

Shuri realized what a nasty turn this conversation was about to take, so she decided to end it. "I understand we must work together to stop Thanos, but from now on, if there is anything else Wakanda needs to know, just contact Nakia, or my brother. Don't call me. I don't want to see your face, or even hear your voice ever again. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly."

"Good," she said, and ended the call. Then she collapsed on the floor, and unleashed all the tears she had been trying so hard to keep at bay. She stayed there until her brother came and took her to her room.

Because of what W'Kabi had done to him, Shuri had thought T'Challa would understand her better than anyone else. He did, and he didn't. He agreed that Shuri shouldn't be friends with such a pathological liar. But he didn't hide the fact that he was also glad that Ana had lied to her about the Darkhold.

"If they brought a man back from the dead to read it, nothing good will ever come out of that book," he said. As usual, he was being overprotective, so she didn't bother to explain why the choice should have been hers.

…

The next day, Shuri decided that Bucky needed to hear about the return of Howard Stark from her, and went to the Border Tribe region. She found him feeding his goats, but his face told Shuri that he already knew. Right. Rogers must have told him.

He paused when he saw her, and smiled. "Hey!"

"Good morning, Bucky. How are you feeling today?"

"Not bad, considering the circumstances… You came here to tell me, didn't you?"

She nodded. Without a word, they started to walk away from the farm and toward the lake. She felt awful for him. Being haunted by metaphorical ghosts was one thing, but one of your victims literally coming back from the dead was another.

"Steve called me last night."

"How is he?"

"Still trying to wrap his around the fact that Howard Stark is back… Damn, how is that even possible?"

"I don't know. I can only explain the laws of this world, Bucky. Once other dimensions get involved… things start making less sense. Every dimension has its own different laws."

"So, can people just come back from the dead now?"

"No. Despite the name, I don't think Hell is some kind of afterlife. Howard Stark's case seems like an exception to me."

He nodded thoughtfully.

"You don't have to see him, you know…"

"No? I _killed_ him, Shuri. I punched him to death while his wife was watching. Then I killed her, too."

"It wasn't you. If he is as smart as people say, he should know that. It wasn't your choice."

"No, but _I_ did it."

"You're a semi-stable 100-year-old man. Your own mental health should be your priority."

He chuckled.

"No, I'm serious. The Starks have made their choice when they brought him back. Now they're going to have to live with the consequences. If Howard Stark can't handle the sight of you, it's his problem."

"You have such weird friends… You know that, right?"

He probably had said that to make her laugh, but tears brimmed in Shuri's eyes. Recalling how she had been betrayed by the first outsider she had ever trusted hurt her pride.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

They had reached the lakeside. Shuri sat down on a large rock, and angrily threw a pebble into the water. "I was working my ass off, trying to discover an element, and thinking she was doing the same, looking for the remaining Infinity Stones… But no, she was looking for a magic book instead! And she thought I didn't have to know! What would you do if Rogers told you a lie like that?"

He smiled. "I think I'd be too impressed to be mad if Steve could keep up such a complicated lie for that long."

"You're lucky your best friend is a decent human being, then."

"Captain America isn't as naive as everyone thinks, you know. You'd be surprised if I told you how many times he lied on the enlistment forms."

She shot him a puzzled look.

"Before the serum," he explained. Right, a tale from a different time.

"That's not the same. He didn't lie to _you_."

"Our lies were simpler, because our lives were simpler. We were just two kids from Brooklyn who wanted to do their part to protect their country. Not heirs to a multi-billion dollar tech empire, or leaders of some future resistance."

"Do you think I don't understand Ana's struggles?"

"No! Look, from what Steve told me, I think that girl has some serious issues, but that's irrelevant. My point is, you, of all people, must understand the struggle better than anyone else. People here talk about you, Shuri. Especially children. You're, like, Wakanda's chosen one."

"I'm not the 'chosen one,' or anything."

"You kind of are. Bast chose you. Am I right?"

"Yes, but… Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to believe that."

"Like you said, I'm a semi-stable 100-year-old man. I try to keep an open mind."

Shuri rose to her feet. "Well, I better get back to my lab. Thanks for listening."

"Anytime."


	12. Chapter 12

Shuri heard about Howard Stark's plan to bury the Nexus in the roots of Yggdrasil from T'Challa. They were assembling a team just for this mission. A-Force, they called it. Doctor Stephen Strange, a "wizard" who had the Time Stone had said it was the only team that would succeed. There was a catch, however. They had to wait until Thanos came to Earth before doing this so that he could be trapped here. Strange had also said the battle would take place in Wakanda, but not when. All Shuri knew was that victory would be theirs, though she wasn't sure about Doctor Strange's definition of "victory."

The following months were like the calm before the storm. Ana and her father held a press conference to announce Howard Stark's return to the world of the living. They said they had been able to open a portal to another dimension during a scientific experiment, and that was how they had found him, trapped in another dimension. Shuri didn't think anyone believed that bullshit, but no one wanted to ask too many questions either. People seemed to be afraid of the Starks now. But one reporter had written an article on how Howard Stark had been "Rescued," and that had become Ana's superhero name. Rescue.

In the meantime, Shuri had been able to meet another member of the A-Force. Hope van Dyne had come to the Oakland Outreach Center to meet her. She seemed nice, but Shuri didn't think she could trust another outsider to be her friend anytime soon. So, she decided to maintain a professional relationship with Ms. van Dyne. Her mother, Janet van Dyne, had a lot to teach them about the Quantum Realm. Pym Technologies, too, now had an office and a representative at the Oakland Outreach Center.

…

Shuri knew the time had come when one morning a small spaceship appeared at the border, with Sigyn, Sif and Carol Danvers on it. They were immediately brought to the throne room where Shuri, T'Challa, their mother, Nakia, and the Dora Milaje were waiting. Bucky had come with the three women as well.

Sigyn and Sif had been sent on a quest to find the Soul Stone by Odin before his death, but as Strange had said, they had returned to Earth with Carol Danvers instead of the stone. The two Asgardians had been away for a long time, so they didn't know about "the plan." T'Challa did the explaining. Sigyn looked like she was going to pass out. At first, Shuri thought it was because she had found about Howard Stark's return, but Sif and Carol Danvers also seemed equally shaken. Like they had seen something horrible.

"What happened to you?" Shuri asked them.

"Odin said stopping Thanos from getting all the six stones was more crucial. He knew where the Soul Stone was, so he sent me and my sister to Vormir to retrieve it. What we'd not been told was that the stone demanded a sacrifice."

"What kind of sacrifice?"

"A soul for soul."

So, one of the sisters had to die to get the stone. That was why they had failed. "But you refused to make that sacrifice…"

Shuri couldn't blame them. If she and T'Challa were in their place, they wouldn't make the sacrifice either, even if the whole universe was at stake.

"It was safer that way," Sif said defensively. "Thanos is a monster who is incapable of love. He cannot possibly have anyone to sacrifice for the stone. So, we left it where it was."

"In another reality, he had all the six stones," Shuri's mother reminded.

"Perhaps only because someone else made the sacrifice and took the stone for him."

"What happened after you left Vormir?" T'Challa asked.

"We thought we could make an alliance with the Nova Empire," Sigyn replied. "We went to Xandar, and came across Carol there. She and I… knew each other. Unfortunately, Thanos had been there before us."

He frowned. "What did he do to Xandar?"

"He went there to get the Power Stone. He left a massacre behind. Do I need to say more?"

That explained why they all looked so distraught.

"We went to Asgard first," Sigyn went on. "But it was gone."

"Gone?"

"It must have been Ragnarok. The only thing that can destroy the Realm Eternal… We don't know if anyone made it alive. There was no time to look for survivors. We directly came to you."

Sif wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders. So, Thor, Loki, their friends and families… Were they all dead? No one spoke for a while. Shuri couldn't even imagine what it must have been like for the two Asgardians.

It was Carol who pulled herself together first. "Tell us more about this team," she told T'Challa.

"Of course. There is a third Asgardian, a Valkyrie named Brunnhilde."

Sif and Sigyn exchanged confused looks. "The Valkyries are dead," they said.

"Not all of them, it appears. Unfortunately, we have no images of her, for she has never been to Earth yet," T'Challa said, then continued, "I believe you have already met my sister. She is not only a scientific genius, but also a capable fighter. She was trained by Nakia."

He then tapped on a Kimoyo bead and a hologram of Ana in her suit appeared. "Ana Stark. CEO of Stark Industries and heir to the Iron Man mantle. The Nexus was her idea. These days, she is also known as Rescue."

He tapped on the Kimoyo bead again, and this time, Hope van Dyne's hologram popped up. "Hope van Dyne. Chairwoman of Pym Technologies, has recently inherited the Wasp mantle from her mother, Janet van Dyne. Thanks to the technology her parents developed, she can reduce herself to the size of an insect. Therefore, she is the one who is going to bury the Nexus in the roots of Yggdrasil."

Another hologram. This time, Daisy Johnson's. "Daisy Johnson. An agent of SHIELD, also a very powerful Inhuman known as Quake. Her organization was wrongfully accused of the shooting of an American general named Glenn Talbot, but SHIELD has been redeemed in the public eye once again, after the incident in Chicago. Hope van Dyne might be the one to bury the Nexus, but she will open the path for her, with her powers."

"Can she see Yggdrasil?" Sif asked.

"I can help her feel the branches, and open a path to its roots," Sigyn said. "If she lets me get inside her mind."

T'Challa nodded. "That's exactly the plan. My sister will lead the team to the entrance. Sigyn, Johnson, and van Dyne will work together, while the others will defend you against Thanos' forces."

"Remember, we must wait until Thanos himself arrives, so that he won't be able to use the Space Stone to escape. He will be trapped here with us," Shuri added.

"And we will be trapped here with him," Carol said. "Frankly, I don't like this plan. Not at all."

"Why? Are you scared?" Shuri teased.

Shuri had meant it as a joke, but it obviously angered Carol. "I can handle myself. I'm scared for the rest of you people."

"I need to see Howard," Sigyn said all of a sudden.

"If you want to call him…" T'Challa started.

"No. No, I need to see him in person."

"Sigyn!" Sif cried. "That man was raised from the dead! He read the Darkhold! He's full of dark magic now."

"And that's exactly why he needs me! Come on, sister, this is Howard we're talking about!"

Before Sif could reply, Shuri's, T'Challa's, Okoye's and Nakia's Kimoyo beads started beeping all at once. _Shit._ This couldn't be good.

Indeed, Griot had notified them of another alien attack in New York. They weren't sure what was going on, but no one had any doubt that the spaceship that hovered above the city belonged to Thanos. The Avengers were fighting against two despicable, twisted creatures. One seemed to be relying solely on his brutal strength, while the other's moves were more calculated, but he seemed to be able to manipulate everything around him, which actually made him even more dangerous than his partner. They also saw some guy in a red spider suit, Doctor Strange, Howard Stark, Loki, and Brunnhilde fighting alongside the Avengers. Loki had a pair of daggers, and Brunnhilde a very elegant-looking sword. As for Howard Stark, he unleashed something dark and intangible from his hands. His eyes had turned into two black orbs, and dark veins had appeared all over his face.

Even Bucky seemed disturbed by this sight. "What the hell is he doing?"

"Darkforce," Sigyn replied. She looked like she wasn't sure whether she should be relieved that her husband was alive, or horrified that her friend had turned into this… thing. "He is manipulating the Darkforce."

Bucky sighed. "I don't even want to know what that means."

But the cameras mostly focused on the terrorized civilians, instead of showing the real fight, so Shuri decided to bring up a satellite stream. After the fight was over, Loki suddenly appeared right next to Sigyn, alarming everyone.

"This is just his Astral form, he's not really here," Sigyn explained, then turned to her husband. "Loki, are you alright?"

Shuri didn't know what exactly had been going on between this couple, but it was obvious that they still loved each other. "I'm fine."

"What's going on? Why was Asgard destroyed? And what just happened in New York?"

"It's a long story."

"Just tell me."

"Odin had secrets, Sigyn. He had a daughter, Hela, long before Thor was born. When she grew too powerful, and too ambitious, Odin imprisoned her, and erased her from the history of Asgard."

Shuri and T'Challa looked at each other. Apparently, such lies were the curse of all royal families, alien or human.

"Odin's death set her free," Loki went on. "Her powers came from Asgard itself, so we had no choice. We had to unleash Surtur and fulfill the prophecy of Ragnarok."

"You caused Ragnarok?" Sif cried.

Loki rolled his eyes. "It was Thor's idea!"

"And where is Thor?" Sif demanded this time.

His arrogant smirk faded. "I don't know. Probably dead. We were able to evacuate Asgard, but Thanos attacked our ship. He took the Tesseract. Heimdall sent me and Brunnhilde to Midgard to warn the Avengers, but…"

"I'm so sorry, my love."

"The ones in New York were Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian, two of Thanos' children. Oh, by the way, you're not going to believe who killed Maw."

"I know about Howard," Sigyn simply said.

"You do? What if I told you Brunnhilde is a Valkyrie?"

"I know about that as well."

Loki smiled again. "I missed you, Sigyn."

"I trust you'll be on your way to Wakanda soon? According to Strange, the final battle will take place in Wakanda."

"Yes. We're at the Avengers compound now. They say Fury will be here soon, with his flying fortress."

"Hellicarrier, you mean?"

"Whatever. Look, Sigyn, there's something else you need to know."

"What is it?"

"Thanos knows about the Stark girl."

"What?"

"Maw wasn't here just for the Time Stone. He was also here for her."

"Damn… How? How can he possibly know?"

"Because of me. When I was at the Stark Tower, Ana told me about the warning from the future. The Other was watching."

"Oh, Loki…"

"I concealed her from his sight the moment I realized she didn't serve Thanos, I swear! But he'd heard enough! Come on, Sigyn… You have to believe me."

"I believe you."

"I think Stark lost his mind when he found out. He's already tried to kill me twice."

"Which one?"

"The son. But I don't think his father likes me much either."

Sigyn sighed. "Be nice to them, Loki. Please, for me. At least until you get here. Then I'll speak with Howard myself."

"Alright. Goodbye, my love. I will see you soon."

"Goodbye," Sigyn said, and Loki disappeared in a flash of green light.

"The Time Stone," Nakia told Sigyn, "That was what gave you a warning about Thanos, wasn't it? That was the secret you couldn't tell us?"

"Yes. The Time Stone belonged to the Masters of the Mystic Arts. I couldn't betray their trust and tell you about the stone without their permission. I hope you understand."

"No more secrets," Shuri said sharply, wondering how Nakia had figured it out. But then, this was what Nakia did best. "If we are going to be a team, there will be no more secrets."

Sigyn nodded.

"Shuri?" T'Challa asked softly. "A moment, please?"

"Of course, brother."

They walked out of the throne room together. He put an arm around her shoulders.

"You're scared for me," Shuri observed.

"How can I _not_ be scared for you?"

"Don't worry, I don't think Thanos knows about me. Ana didn't even know I was involved in this when she first met Loki."

"Let's hope so. How are you holding up?"

"I _am_ scared, T'Challa," she admitted. "Is that normal?"

"Of course it is. But I will protect you, Shuri. I would give my life for you. You know that."

"No, that's the problem! I don't want you to die! Not for me, not for anyone else!"

T'Challa smiled, then pulled her into a hug, and kissed the top of her head. "Like I always say, you are too young to worry about death. For now, you just focus on locating the Cave of Visions, alright?"

Yes, the Cave of Visions… Howard Stark said the entrance to the roots of Yggdrasil was in that cave. This was going to end where it had begun. _It comes full circle_ , Shuri thought. The problem was, they still didn't know where the cave was. And to be frank, she was scared shitless. One would think she would be prepared for Thanos' arrival by now. She wasn't. And she didn't think she would ever be.

 _Help me,_ she prayed to Bast, and held her brother even tighter.

…

Shuri took a deep breath as the Hellicarrier landed. It was huge, indeed; she could see why Loki called it a "flying fortress." She wondered how many people they had brought with them. Beside her, Bucky shifted uncomfortably. Nakia flashed her an encouraging smile. As for her mother and brother, they stood absolutely still, with dignified, but inscrutable looks on their faces.

Captain Rogers was the first one to emerge. The other heroes were trailing behind him. Hope van Dyne was among them, holding hands with Scott Lang. He had been invited to join the Avengers by Captain America himself. Van Dyne and Shuri smiled at each other. Rogers shook hands with T'Challa, politely nodded to the Queen Mother, and then hugged Bucky.

"How are you doing, Buck?"

"Not bad, for the end of the world."

Nick Fury was the next to appear.

"I wasn't expecting to see SHIELD here," T'Challa said sharply. Wakanda hadn't forgotten that Fury had broken a promise he had made.

"Oh, I don't represent SHIELD anymore. He does," he said, pointing at another African-American man. "Alphonso Mackenzie, the new Director of SHIELD."

Director Mackenzie was surrounded by a group of SHIELD agents. Daisy Johnson was one of them.

"I never thought I'd see you two fighting side by side," Fury told Sigyn and Carol.

"Desperate times, desperate measures," Carol said. It was obvious that Carol and Sigyn had a history, but Shuri still hadn't been able to figure out if they were on good terms or not.

Everyone except Sigyn frowned when they saw Loki. As for Brunnhilde, she just seemed bored of vouching for him.

Loki and Sigyn kissed each other passionately. Then Sigyn asked, "Is Thor really dead? What about my father? The Warriors Three? Heimdall?"

Loki shook his head. "I'm sorry, my love."

Sigyn was about to say something, but she froze when she saw Ana and her father.

Ana was deliberately avoiding looking Shuri's way, which made Shuri want to punch her in the face. As for Mr. Stark, he didn't seem mad, like Loki had described. On the contrary, he was very nonchalant for a man who was about to face his greatest nightmare. He had wrapped an arm around Ana's shoulders protectively, and he shot Shuri a _"You hurt my daughter's feelings and I will remember that,"_ look, but he didn't seem more overprotective than usual.

"What's up, Lagertha?" he asked Sigyn. "Long time no see…"

"Do you really have to give me a new nickname every time we meet, Tony?"

"He's waiting for you," Ana told her softly, gesturing at the ship with her head. Everyone knew who she was talking about. Howard Stark. It looked like the two old friends wanted to have their reunion away from prying eyes.

Sigyn nodded, then made for the ship, alone.

"So, how big of an assault should we expect?" T'Challa asked.

"Thanos knows we're expecting him," Stark replied. "This is not going to be like the Battle of New York. He won't underestimate us this time."

"Yes, we know, Mr. Stark," T'Challa said calmly. "You will have my kingsguard, the Border Tribe, and the Dora Milaje."

"What about the Jabari?" their mother asked. Shuri knew T'Challa had sent word to M'Baku, hoping he would change his mind.

He shook his head. "Still no word from M'Baku."

"Thanos will decide to deal with us himself as soon as he realizes his minions failed," Doctor Strange said.

T'Challa nodded, and gave Shuri a meaningful look. This was her cue. "Alright, A-Force. Follow me," she said, and took the team to Mount Bashenga, while everyone else stayed with her brother. They need to have a meeting, and discuss strategies. Once the introductions were made, they were ready to begin. Sigyn was the only one missing, but her sister could fill her in later.

"Before we start, I think these belong to you," Daisy said, and gave Shuri a pair of vibranium Ring Blades.

"HYDRA's vibranium Ring Blades! We have been looking for these for a very long time. How did you find them?"

"They were meant for Ruby Hale, a genetically engineered individual for a secret HYDRA project."

"Ruby Hale? The Design Group has scanned all the leaked SHIELD and HYDRA files, but the name doesn't sound familiar."

"I don't think Protect Destroyer of Worlds was in those files."

Daisy, Sif and Ana swapped meaningful looks, and Shuri realized there was more to this Project Destroyer of Worlds. Of course. With Ana, there was always more.

"Anyway," she said, and decided to worry about Ana later. "I believe everyone is familiar with the plan by now. Does anyone have any questions?"

Daisy shook her head.

"I'm just glad I didn't have to hear the whole thing from Luis," Hope said, and when she realized everyone was giving her confused looks, added, "Just an extremely hyperverbal friend of Scott's."

"I have a question," Sif said. "Where is this entrance to the roots of Yggdrasil?"

"That's a good question," Shuri said, and brought up a holographic map of Wakanda. "We must find the Cave of Visions. It is a sacred place, and the last time the entrance was revealed, I was six. We know it is somewhere between the Golden City and the River Province, but we don't have an exact location."

"Great," Carol muttered angrily. "And Thanos knows about our plan. He won't fall for the trap."

"He just knows about me," Ana said. "He doesn't know anything about any of you. And more importantly, he doesn't know anything about this." She opened a small case and revealed the Nexus. Then she gave the case to Hope. After all, she was the one who was going to bury it.

"Loki's cloaking spells are quite strong," Sif said. "Don't worry, Thanos can't possibly know what we've been up to. What about the Mind Stone? Is it safe?"

"Don't worry, my brother hid the Mind Stone. Even I don't know where it is. We mustn't lose hope. We will find the cave. The forest is quite dense in this area, but even if Thanos' army breaches the protective dome before we find the cave, we will have the advantage. I know this land better than they do."

"You're going to need my sister's help to clear the path with your powers," Sif told Daisy. "That means she is going to guide your mind."

"I don't have a problem with that."

"How is Coulson, by the way? Why didn't he join you?"

"Coulson decided to… retire." From the way she said that, Shuri assumed his job wasn't the only thing Coulson had retired from.

Sif nodded gravely. "I see."

"You know, Asgard tried this 'a group of elite female warriors' thing a long time ago. It didn't end well," Brunnhilde chimed in.

"Yes, we know," Shuri said. "The Valkyries. You were one of them."

"What went wrong?" Carol asked.

"Nothing 'went' wrong. Hela was just more powerful than us, that was all. I was the only one who didn't die a gruesome death."

Shuri rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the lovely anectode, but we're not here as a group of elite female warriors. Wakanda already has the Dora Milaje for that. We're only here because this is the only team that will get the job done. Alright, ladies. That's it. If you need any upgrades with your gear, feel free to ask the Design Group for help."

They thanked her, and then started leaving one by one.

"Not _you_."

Shuri hadn't even looked at her, but Ana immediately froze on the spot. They waited in silence until they were the only ones in the room.

"Tell me the truth."

"What truth?"

"Project Destroyer of Worlds… What does it have to do with you?"

"Nothing. At least not in this timeline."

"You're going to have to be more specific than that."

"Fine. Back in the day, when SHIELD was still in its full glory, Sigyn and Daisy crossed paths during a mission. Sigyn warned her to stay away from me, that I'd turn her into the Destroyer of Worlds. That's why she'd been avoiding me like the plague. It wasn't just about Coulson."

"Let me stop you right there. What exactly is the Destroyer of Worlds?"

"It's an old HYDRA project to create another super-soldier. Only, instead of the super-soldier serum, it uses gravitonium."

"Gravitonium? Is that even real?"

"How do you think the other Ana opened a portal through spacetime?"

"Damn…" If this was true, the other Ana had created basically a miniaturized black hole to travel back in time.

"Here's what happened in that timeline: When Thanos sent his children to New York to get the Time Stone, everyone was unprepared. Everyone except my dad. Strange got captured. Peter, my dad, and I jumped onto Maw's ship. But Dad convinced me to go back and rally everyone against Thanos."

"And you just did as you were told?"

"I had the coordinates of the ship's destination. I was their only hope to come back home. Otherwise, we were all going to be stranded in another galaxy. Besides, I'd done some terrible things in that timeline. I think I was desperate to make things right. Anyway, I returned to Earth. I warned the Avengers first, and then SHIELD. Daisy was my best friend, and she told me about the gravitonium and Project Destroyer of Worlds. I thought I could use that project to create a weapon to stop Thanos. We were discussing the option when the future me and Daisy appeared out of nowhere. They told us to go to Wakanda, while the future me turned the future Daisy into the Destroyer of Worlds. Before we left, they gave me a small amount of the gravitonium, in case something went wrong. We were on our way to Wakanda when the world was just… torn apart. Then I used the gravitonium to go back in time to fix things, but that was a time loop. The same thing happened over and over again."

"Shit…" Frankly, Shuri didn't even know what else to say.

"It wasn't Thanos who destroyed the world in that future, Shuri. It was me. We had to let go of the Earth itself to break the loop. All those people… Only a bunch of them were able to escape the catastrophe. You and T'Challa were among them. But when Thanos came, he took care of the survivors. He only spared you, me, and Sigyn."

It took a few minutes for Shuri to process this and regain her ability to speak. "How do you know all these?"

"Strange showed to my grandfather. But I suspected the exact same scenario anyway. The wizard just confirmed it."

"You tried to use an old HYDRA project called the Destroyer of Worlds! What did you think would happen?"

"Well, newsflash: I'm not her! I don't know. Like I said, she was desperate to make things right."

"Why? What could she possibly have done so bad that she was willing to risk destroying an entire planet?"

"She created another Hulk. The Red Hulk."

Shuri covered her face with her hands. "Do I even want to know?" Seriously, where was this going to end?

"Trust me, even I couldn't have guessed that part. But Strange has no reason to lie to us."

"Go on."

"There was… another Avenger in that timeline. Wanda Maximoff. She wasn't a big fan of my dad, but everyone else loved her. So, I decided to work with Gener—Secretary Ross to get rid of her."

"Let me guess, your plan backfired?"

"Spectacularly. But once the dust was settled, Ross learned that my grandfather had replicated the super soldier serum before his death. I didn't know he was interested in becoming a super-soldier himself, but his heart was failing him, and he needed a better cure than a triple bypass. He threatened to sentence my dad to a lifetime of imprisonment if I refused to use the serum on him. I tried to produce Grandpa Stark's formula, but it wasn't exactly my area of expertise. You can imagine the rest."

"Shit…"

"Yeah, believe it or not, I'm actually a much more decent person in this timeline. I guess witnessing the end of your own redemption arc does that to you…"

"So, what happened to Project Destroyer of Worlds in _this_ timeline?"

"Coulson's team went to the future and created another time loop. Don't look at me like that, I had nothing to do with it. It was a monolith, some sort of alien artifact."

"And?"

"And, when they came back, they tried to stop the Destroyer of Worlds from being created. That girl, Ruby Hale, was HYDRA's candidate, but the people in the future thought it was Daisy. No one saw Talbott coming, I suppose."

"General Talbott? The one Daisy's LMD shot?"

"Yeah. I guess he, too, was desperate to make things right. But gravitionium drove him insane. Daisy was never the Destroyer of Worlds in this timeline. She was just trying to stop Talbott. From what they told me, I think they broke the loop when she succeeded."

"Is this timeline still safe?" Shuri rubbed her forehead. She had never thought it could be possible, but she felt like her brain was melting.

"I think so, yeah."

"I seriously don't know how you can live with yourself…"

"Believe me, it's not easy."

"You know, I wouldn't be so angry if I didn't care about you."

"Good. Because I was hoping we could do business."

"Now I hate you…" She thought they were having a sentimental moment, but Ana had ruined it by suddenly starting to use her CEO voice. She hated it when she turned into one of those people who thought they could fix everything with their money. "What do you want?"

"Vibranium. I'll pay whatever—"

"Stop it! It's not your money I want."

"What, then?"

"Your plan. You know, that backup plan no one else knows about… Don't lie to me, I know you have one. I can almost see the gears in your head turning."

"Okay. Secure the room, and I'll show you."

"There is no need for that. No more lies, that's our—"

"You want my plan? Secure the room," she repeated.

"Secure the room," Shuri told Griot, and the windows around them darkened. "There, are you happy now?"

"I've been working on a secret project."

"Bucky was right about you. You have some serious issues."

"All Starks have serious issues. It's our default setting. Anyway, take a look at this." She tapped on her smartwatch and the holograms of a bunch of blueprints popped up.

MARK LI: GODKILLER

"Another suit? What is so secret about it?"

"Because I'm not going to use gold-titanium alloy to make this one."

Now it made sense. "You're going to use vibranium…"

"And my Chitauri metal replica."

"Why?" Vibranium was much stronger than Chitauri metal. Why did Ana want to combine the two materials?

"You know the Chitauri share a hivemind, right? Have you ever wondered how? It's this metal that makes it possible. The conductivity is incredible. It collects the static electricity in the air, and converts it into current electricity. The Chitauri used it to communicate, like a big metal brain they shared, but that electricity can also be turned into a lightning bolt."

"And what exactly are you hoping to achieve with this hypothetical lightning bolt?"

"When my dad and Thor met for the first time, they had a fight. Thor hit him with a lightning bolt, but it didn't disable the suit. On the contrary, the power went up to 400% capacity. Now Thor is gone. I can't replicate his hammer, but at least I can do this."

"So, you're going to overcharge the Arc Reactor? That's your secret plan?"

"Who said anything about the Arc Reactor?" She took something out of her pocket. At first, it looked like a housing unit of Mark L, like the one attached to her chest right now, but it was glowing white, not blue.

"Another Nexus?" she cried.

"Yeah, the one no one else knows about… Grandpa gave me the formula in case something happened to him, but I thought I could use it more… effectively, you know."

Howard Stark knew absolutely nothing about his granddaughter, then. "You're going to _destroy_ the Infinity Stones… This is your plan!"

"Yes."

"I hate you…"

"What? I thought you liked upgrades?"

"This is not an upgrade! This is you being suicidal!"

"Why do you care? Do you not want me to pay for what I did to you?"

"I do. I think you deserve a good punch in the face. Not a gruesome death."

"That's why I need vibranium. To keep the suit intact."

"You'll break vibranium's integrity by combining it with Chitauri metal! You won't survive the explosion!"

"With Extremis, I have a chance."

"Extremis? I thought it was…"

"I reactivated it. A long time ago. I had an occasional glowing problem at first, but I managed to hide it from you until Dad fixed it completely."

"Oh, so you genetically enhanced yourself, but as usual, your best friend didn't even have to know, right? Just curious, are you actually allergic to honesty?"

"This is serious, Shuri."

"So am I!"

"Come on, you know we need this."

"Why do you want to do it?"

"Just think about what Thanos did to us. What he took from us. You were six when you saw that vision, weren't you? Since then, every morning, you wake up, and Thanos is the first thing that comes to your mind. I know what it's like. I don't think the others can understand that. And even if we win, how many Wakandans will die? Your people? Or maybe, he's just coward. Maybe he'll hop onto his ship and flee when he realizes the Infinity Stones don't work here. What then? The Nine Realms might be safe, but what about the other places? You guys finally decided not to turn your backs on the rest of the world. Are you going to turn your backs on the rest of the universe?"

"Cut the bullshit, Ana! You don't give a damn about the rest of the universe. You're just manipulating me right now."

"I'm telling you the truth."

"You're manipulating me with the truth."

"It's called brutal honesty. And you still don't know where that sacred cave is, do you? We'll definitely need this plan unless you find it."

"Why do you _really_ want to do this?"

"Because I want him to pay for what he did to my dad!" she snapped, and Shuri realized there was something very, very wrong with her. Alright, Shuri, too, hated Thanos, but not with such a… dangerous ferocity. "I don't want him to just die. I want him to suffer, the way my dad suffers! He's a monster. He doesn't have any loved ones I can threaten. But I know he wants the Infinity Stones. I know he wants them more than anything else. So, I'll destroy them. I'll shatter his miserable life's purpose. I'll hit that alien bastard with the biggest stick there is."

"What stick?"

"It's just a metaphor, never mind."

"Ana, you've gone insane. I want no part in this."

"Okay. Just do me a favor and keep your mouth shut, then. I don't need vibranium to destroy the stones." She turned on her heels, and made for the door.

Damn it. She wasn't bluffing. One way or the other, she was going to build that Godkiller suit.

"Wait!" Shuri cried. "Damn you, Ana."

She stopped, and grinned. "So, you're going to help me…"

"You know, you might not have invented time-traveling in this universe, but you're still in a loop."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't you see it? You manipulated Daisy in that other timeline, and you two destroyed the Earth. Now you're manipulating me, and something terrible will happen again! You just can't stop, can you?"

"This is not the Project Destroyer of Worlds! It will only destroy the Infinity Stones."

"And you!"

"This is a worst case measure. Do you honestly think I have a death wish or something?"

"I don't know what is going on in that twisted head of yours, Ana. Let's just do this, okay?"


	13. Chapter 13

To be honest, from an objective point of view, Mark LI was an engineering masterpiece. Ana had indeed outdone herself with this one. If Shuri weren't concerned about Ana's sanity, she might even be impressed. After helping Ana, Shuri spent the rest of the night trying to locate the cave in her lab. T'Challa came to see her. He still believed Thanos was Wakanda's punishment for turning their backs on the world, so Shuri explained to him what had happened in the other timeline. Thanos' victory wasn't their punishment, but the inevitable outcome of an American screwing the pooch. He couldn't sleep much, and neither could she. But in the morning, she woke up on a couch, in T'Challa's arms. It kind of reminded her of the morning she had woken up after the night in the Cave of Visions. Only, they weren't children anymore. And this time, it wasn't T'Challa who had woken her up. It was Okoye.

"Something has just entered the atmosphere," she said.

T'Challa had woken up, too. "So it begins…" he murmured gravely.

"Yes, my king. Everyone is waiting for you."

T'Challa put on the silver ceremonial necklace and activated the Panther Habit. Shuri was ready when she put on her vibranium gauntlets and her com.

Indeed, almost everyone was waiting for them at the top of Mount Bashenga, just outside the labs. Howard Stark was arguing with Sigyn.

"No!" she cried. "You read the Darkhold, you're not going anywhere near Thanos!"

"I can help, Sigyn!"

Shuri came up with an idea. "Actually, you don't have to be out there to help, Mr. Stark. I heard you were exceptionally skilled in aviation. There is a remote flying system down in my lab. Griot can walk you through it."

He thought for a moment. "Alright," he then relented. He gently squeezed his son's and granddaughter's shoulders—they both seemed grateful to Shuri for the offer—then went into the elevator that would take him to Shuri's lab.

"Let's go," T'Challa said, but Ana grabbed Shuri by the wrist, and dragged her out of everyone's earshot.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"It's gone!"

"What?"

"Someone took the housing unit of Mark 51."

"Shit…"

"Was it you, Shuri?"

"Me? I'm not you, Ana!"

"You were the only one who knew about it…"

"Perhaps it's another time-traveling evil doppelganger of yours lurking around."

The fact that Ana didn't dismiss the possibility right away spoke volumes about what she was capable of. Still, Shuri wanted to focus on the less crazy possibilities first. "Maybe your grandfather suspected something? He knew you had the formula…"

"I think there's a traitor among us. Loki, most likely. He is the one who fears Thanos most."

"I doubt it. He has a wife to think of."

"Exactly. Maybe he's hoping to make a deal with Thanos to save her ass, along with his own."

"Well, there's no time to find out. Let's go."

The flyers were carrying everyone to the battlefield. Shuri climbed on one with her brother. There was a huge ring-shaped spaceship hovering above them, just like the one they had seen in New York the other day. The dropships that fell on the dome were immediately destroyed, but the rest of Thanos' army was piling up just outside the barriers.

"Where is Mother?" she asked T'Challa.

"She is safe. I have given orders to evacuate the city. And I told her not to look back if… Wakanda fell."

 _If Wakanda fell_. It sounded so strange, so unthinkable… Shuri had always imagined this battle to be much more thrilling, but now, all she felt was fear. She didn't know how her brother was able to be so brave. For a brief moment, she wondered if things would be better if their father were here, but then changed her mind. No, it would actually be worse. He was safely resting in peace now, far away from Thanos' reach…

"Hey," Nakia said softly. Today, she had been so quiet that one could almost forget she was here. But Shuri hadn't. How could she? Nakia had been supporting her from the very beginning. "We have come this far. We will see it to the end."

Nakia, always the believer…

There was a surprise waiting for them at the edge of the barriers. The Jabari. They had decided to join the fight. T'Challa went to thank M'Baku for standing with them.

Just outside the barriers, there were two people waiting. A man and a woman. "Who are they?" Shuri asked.

"Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive," Loki replied.

Her face wrinkled. " More of Thanos' kids?"

"Yes. And they've brought the Outriders with them. They're worse than the Chitauri."

"Looks like they want to talk," Captain Rogers said. He took T'Challa, and much to everyone's surprise, Loki with him, and went to negotiate with them. But it made sense. T'Challa was the King of Wakanda, and now that Thor was gone, Loki represented whatever had remained of Asgard. Besides, he knew the Black Order better than anyone else here did. Shuri didn't think he was a bad guy anymore.

The negotiation didn't last long, and it didn't go well either. Not that Shuri had much hope. She couldn't believe her eyes when Proxima Midnight opened up the dropships and released the army. Loki and Mr. Stark had been right. This army was nothing like the Chitauri. This time, Thanos wasn't going to stop until he got what he wanted.

"This is going to be the end of Wakanda," M'Baku sighed.

"Then it will be the noblest ending in history," Okoye said.

"Not necessarily," Mr. Stark disagreed. "If we kill Thanos, the rest will scatter… Strange, what happened to that brilliant plan of yours?"

Strange made no reply.

"Why don't you at least tell me where the cave is?" Shur asked the wizard in frustration.

"The answer will come to you."

" _Yibambe!"_ T'Challa shouted before Shuri could argue any further.

" _Yibambe!"_ the Wakandans repeated the war cry.

" _Yibambe!"_

" _Yibambe!"_

" _Yibambe!"_

" _Yibambe!"_

 _Yibambe_. It was actually a bit ironic, for it meant "Hold fast." Wasn't that what they had been doing for years? Holding fast, getting ready, waiting for this very moment? Bucky had said people told stories about Shuri, about her being Wakanda's chosen one. They had put their hopes in her. They were ready to die for her, and she had failed them. She hadn't been able to find the cave. She must have missed something. And she thought she was so smart… She wished Thanos would just take her and leave everyone else alone. She deserved to be punished for her arrogance.

"Man, I love this place," she heard Bucky whisper. "Just look at that."

"Don't get too hopeful, the dome won't hold them off forever." Those things were killing themselves to penetrate the barriers. The Royal Talon was shooting at them. Howard Stark must have activated the remote flying system, then. Sam Wilson and Colonel Rhodes were also flying along the edge of the barriers. But they weren't going to be enough to stop these repulsive creatures.

"No, I mean, _look_!"

Only then, Shuri looked around her, and realized everyone else inside the dome had gone quiet. Or rather, they were all too awestruck to speak. Behind them, stood Bast herself, with her full glory. She seemed much bigger than Shuri remembered, and much fiercer. Perhaps, she hadn't wanted to scare a little girl off back then. But Shuri wasn't a little girl anymore, and Bast wasn't hiding from the rest of the world either. Everyone could see the panther goddess. Some Wakandans fell on their knees and started praying.

But Shuri just felt like she had seen an old friend. _Thank you_ , she thought. _Thank you, thank you, thank you…_

"A-Force, this is our cue!" Carol said, and Shuri remembered that there was still work to be done.

"Wait!" Rogers gestured them to hold on. "These things will be coming after you. We better keep them in front of us."

"How are we going to do that?" Okoye asked.

"We open the barrier," T'Challa said.

"Brother?"

"Don't worry about us. You have one job, make sure you don't fail!"

In the meantime, Bast had turned around and started running into the forest. Hope and Ana were already flying after her. Shuri took the rest of the team onto a flyer and followed them. They were all trying not to look back.

Bast led them to a waterfall almost at the River Tribe border. No matter how hard Shuri tried, she couldn't remember seeing a waterfall that night. Perhaps the location of the cave shifted constantly; that was why they had never been able to find it. Bast went through the waterfall and into the cave.

Ana had landed on the riverbed. Hope was nowhere to be seen. They could hear the Outriders approaching.

"Shuri, Daisy, Sigyn, you go inside. The rest of us will hold them off," Carol said.

Daisy and Sigyn followed Shuri's lead inside. Bast was nowhere to be seen, but it didn't matter. She had brought them to the right place. There was a single hole in the ground, barely large enough to fit a hand through.

"Is this it?" Shuri asked Sigyn. "The tunnel into the roots of Yggdrasil?"

"Yes."

"Hope? Where are you?"

Hope appeared right next to them. "I'm here."

"Alright," Sigyn told Daisy. "Let's do this. Close your eyes. Try to clear your mind."

Daisy closed her eyes, but when Sigyn put her hands on her temples, she winced in pain.

"No, don't fight it. Remember, this is not supposed to hurt. Relax… Yes, that's it. Now, try to feel it. The Tree of Life, the branches that connect the Nine Realms… Feel the unique frequency of that energy. No, don't worry about _them_. Our friends will keep us safe. You just focus. That's right, keep going."

Shuri could hear Carol, Ana, Sif and Brunnhilde fighting outside. Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet started shaking, and Sigyn told Daisy that she was doing great. So, she was doing it, then…

"Shuri?" her brother's voice came through the com. "He is here. Thanos is here."

"We have just begun clearing the tunnel, brother."

"You might want to pick up the pace."

Shuri wasn't sure if it was a good idea to disturb them, but nevertheless, she said, "Thanos is here. Hurry up!"

"Almost there!" Sigyn said.

The waiting felt like an eternity. The ground was still slightly shaking. But eventually, it stopped, and Daisy opened her eyes.

"It's done," she said, as if she couldn't believe she had done it.

"Hope?" they asked.

Hope nodded, then shrunk down and went into the tunnel.

Daisy seemed impressed. "Not bad for our first mission, huh?"

Sigyn shook her head. "Don't start celebrating just yet. This is not over."

At that moment, one of the Outriders managed to slip inside. Shuri quickly killed it with a blast from her gauntlets. Gods, it was even more disgusting up-close. Razor-sharp teeth, six arms… And it smelled like rotten flesh.

"Perhaps we should go outside and help the others," Shuri suggested.

"No!" Ana said, panting heavily. "You stay inside and protect the tunnel until Hope returns. We got this."

"Shuri?" T'Challa asked again.

"Hope is in!"

"Good."

"How many Infinity Stones does he have?"

"Four."

So, the only ones missing were the Time and Mind Stones. He must have found a way to get the Soul Stone. It wasn't exactly a shock, but Shuri wondered how he had done it, with no one he could sacrifice.

Two more Outriders were able to make it inside the cave, but Shuri and Daisy killed them, too.

"I like your gauntlets," Shuri told her at some point. "What do they do, exactly?"

"They help me control my powers. Stop me from hurting myself. Simmons designed them for me… Have you met Simmons?"

"No." The helicarrier had brought so many people that Shuri hadn't had the opportunity to meet all of them.

"You should. I think you'd like each other."

"It's done," Hope said through the com. The voice was static, but at least they hadn't completely lost connection with her. "I'm returning to the surface."

"Brother, it's done! Did it… work?"

"I think so, because now Thanos is confused… and angry. Very angry."

 _Shit._

"He is giving the Hulk quite a thrashing…"

"Hulk?" Shuri cried in disbelief. She just couldn't imagine anyone giving him _quite a thrashing_. "Are you sure he is not using the stones?"

"Yes, Shuri! He can't use them anymore, but I think they still protect him somehow."

Gods, this was far from over, then. Even without the Infinity Stones, Thanos sounded like a one-man army. And he also had an actual army.

"I'm back." Hope appeared before them. "What now?"

"The others need our help," Daisy said.

"Let's go help them, then."

When they got out of the cave, Ana, Carol, Sif and Brunnhilde were still fighting the Outriders. They were surrounded at least by a hundred of those things. It looked like they were going to have to fight their way back to the battlefield.

"Took you long enough," the Valkyrie complained when she saw them, thrusting her sword into the belly of another Outrider.

"I know we didn't exactly have a choice, but wish we'd taken the high ground. This is a bad spot to be surrounded," Carol said. "We can handle them, but we'll be stalled."

Ana seemed to have an idea. "Maybe not… Daisy, have you ever caused a tsunami?"

"Uhm, not really."

"Well, there's a first time for everything. Everyone else, take cover."

As Daisy started forming a giant ball of water from the river, Shuri told the rest of the team to gather around her, and activated the holographic shield in her gauntlets. She was now very glad that she had added that feature. It was like a miniaturized version of the protective dome around Wakanda, and perfect for situations like this.

"Now!" Ana said, and the giant ball of water exploded. Ana released Nitrogen Blasters from her suit, instantly freezing everything in at least a half a mile radius.

"Shuri," T'Challa whispered. "Captain Rogers is down."

"What?" she cried, deactivating the shield.

"I'm sorry."

Everyone was looking at each other in shock. They must have heard it as well. Ana was begging her dad not to do anything stupid to avenge him. Shuri just hoped Bucky wouldn't go berserk.

"Come on," Hope said at last. "We have to go back."

"So, this is the sisterhood…" It was a menacing, female voice that interrupted them. Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive had appeared out of nowhere. Did she have… horns? Shuri wondered where Thanos had found all these freaks.

Proxima Midnight went on, "You can't win this war. Even if you—"

Carol jumped on her and the two disappeared behind the trees. Apparently, she had no patience for villain speeches. And neither did Shuri. She was the closest one to Corvus Glaive, so she shot him with sonic beams. It was obviously painful for him, but with his spear, he managed to reach her and break one of the gauntlets.

Corvus Glaive was about to impale Shuri when Hope started buzzing around him—like a wasp, indeed—to distract him, and Sif cut off his head with a single, clean stroke.

Soon, Carol returned, covered in blue blood, and they all returned to the battlefield.

T'Challa wasn't lying. It was bad. The ground looked like it had been torn up by a gigantic plow. A lot of people were down. Shuri wasn't sure if they were dead, or just unconscious. But it would probably be a lot worse if Thanos could actively use the stones. Instinctively, she looked for T'Challa, and found him fighting a purple giant with Bucky, Doctor Strange, Loki, and that spider boy, Peter Parker. Shuri had no idea why they had brought a 15-year-old kid into this, but they had.

No one needed to tell her who that armored purple giant was.

Thanos.

The bastard who had been giving her nightmares since she was six.

And now, he was standing right over there. That moment, she realized why Ana wanted to make him suffer. She also realized why the others wouldn't understand. Sigyn would, perhaps. After all, Thanos had been giving her nightmares for a long time, too.

But Ana seemed to have a different priority right now.

"Bruce!" she cried and went to Dr. Banner, who had been lying on the ground. Thankfully, he was unharmed. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Where's my dad?"

Shuri suddenly realized Iron Man was nowhere to be seen, indeed.

Banner frowned in confusion. "Tony? I think he was here, but… I don't know…"

"Dr. Banner, are you sure you don't want to get angry again?" Shuri asked him, looking at the bloodshed around them.

"I—I can't. The Other Guy, he won't come out. I don't know what's wrong with him," he said, almost apologetically.

"Well, if that's the case, you should probably get out of here."

"Probably," he agreed.

Shuri spotted Ayo, and asked her to take Dr. Banner to safety. Ayo left with him.

"I'm going to put an end to this," Carol said, looking at the spaceship above. "Or these things won't stop coming."

"Are you sure?" Sif asked her.

She shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time I destroyed an entire army by myself."

Had she destroyed an entire army by herself before? Shuri made a mental note to find out what exactly Carol was talking about once this was over.

Carol closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay, it's been a while since I last did this."

Sigyn smiled. "The rest of us might want to take a few steps back."

Whatever it was Carol was about to do, Sigyn must have seen it before. A mohawk helmet materialized around her head and her eyes started glowing brightly. Some kind of energy force was being formed around her, and she bolted up into the air. Alright, apparently Carol could fly. Shuri was still a bit skeptical at this point, but when she saw Carol destroy a dropship, she was convinced that she could indeed destroy an army by herself. Everyone else needed to focus on destroying Thanos.

"Shuri?" Ana asked warily. "Where's my dad?"

"Have you asked Colonel Rhodes?"

"Of course I asked Rhodey, he doesn't know either."

Ana was right to be worried. Something wasn't right. Tony Stark wouldn't just leave the battlefield, especially now that Thanos was here and Captain America was dead. He was supposed to be here, leading the fight. "I don't know, Ana."

"I'm sure he's fine," Sigyn said to comfort her. "Shall we?"

Shuri and Ana exchanged a significant glance before the latter donned her helmet again and they ran to help the ones who had been fighting the Mad Titan.

They formed a circle around Thanos. Those who had the tech or superpowers to shoot blasts from their hands were giving him everything they had. Sif, Sigyn, and Brunnhilde had sheathed their swords, and picked up guns from the fallen Wakandans. In the meantime, Carol had already destroyed several of the dropships, but there were many more.

Thanos was roaring, but Shuri couldn't tell if he was furious, or in pain. Still, seeing him like this was such a satisfying sight. This man had meant to kill her family, her people, and then "adopt" her, like he was actually doing her a favor and she should be grateful. Shuri wished her right gauntlet were still intact. She wanted to cause him as much pain as she could. She wanted him to pay, for everything he had done and was planning to do to them. That was when she noticed the vibranium spear under her feet. She picked it up, without thinking much about it, and threw it at that ugly purple bastard. She didn't have much hope, but she had actually been able to impale him in the eye. He roared again—this time certainly in pain—and fell down on his knees.

"Yeah, adopt _that_ , you son of a bitch!"

"Well done, Shuri," her brother said.

But Thanos pulled out the spear, and looked at Shuri with his one good eye, almost in confusion. He was preparing to throw it back at her, but all of a sudden, a hole in the sky opened up and a blinding beam of rainbow light descended on the battlefield. The ground slightly shook again, but Shuri was pretty sure it had nothing to do with Daisy this time.

"BRING ME THANOS!"

Shuri grinned. It was Thor. He had made quite an entrance with a new hammer, a raccoon, and a… tree? Whatever. She was just glad that he was here. When Thor spotted Thanos, he started running toward them, but Loki stopped him.

"Thor, wait!"

"What?" he asked Loki, with a hint of frustration in his voice.

"Look, it's good to have you back," he said, panting heavily. "But was that hammer forged in Nidavellir?"

"Yes. Why?"

Loki whispered something in his ear, and Thor frowned.

"What the hell is your husband doing?" Hope whispered to Sigyn through the com.

"Didn't you just see it? That weapon can summon the Bifrost!" she hissed. "If Thanos gets a hold of it, he can escape the Nine Realms, with four Infinity Stones! Everything we've done will be for nothing!"

Well, it actually made sense. But Shuri still didn't know how else they could kill Thanos. It was as if the stones had formed an invisible shield around him. They could cause him pain, and even make him bleed, but none of their weapons and powers had been enough to kill him so far.

"Maybe I can still do it," Ana suddenly said, stopped shooting at Thanos, and landed. "Thor! It's good to see you again!"

"Hey, Ana," he grinned. Shuri knew Thor had been upset with Ana for not having told the truth about Loki while he was pretending to be Odin, but he seemed to have forgotten about that by now. "Nice armor."

"Thanks. Doth Mother know, you weareth her drapes?"

"What?"

"Do you remember what happened when you first met my dad?"

A look of understanding crossed his face. "Oh. Are you sure about this?"

"Yep, 400% sure. Bring it on. And whatever you do, don't stop until I tell you otherwise."

Shuri didn't think she could destroy the stones with only the Arc Reactor, but apparently, she was going to give it a try. Thor summoned another lightning bolt, and hit Ana with it. Ana fired her repulsors at Thanos' gauntlet. And for the first time, Shuri saw true fear in Thanos' eye. Ana wasn't trying to destroy the stones. She was trying to destroy the gauntlet. Indeed, the damnable thing had started melting, albeit very slowly. But also, Shuri could hear Ana wince in pain through the com. She was going to die before the gauntlet was completely destroyed.

"Thor, stop! You're going to kill her!"

Thor looked at Shuri, and then Ana. "Ana?"

"No, keep going!"

"Ana, please. This is suicide."

"No, I just… need to… get closer. Keep him… busy," she told everyone as she approached Thanos.

"No, Ana, he's still too dangerous! Oh, for Bast's sake!"

But of course, Ana didn't listen to Shuri. She probably thought she could end this. But she got too close, and Thanos was able to grab her head with one gigantic hand, and shattered her helmet. Thor immediately stopped charging her suit with lightning. Everyone else stopped attacking as well. The nanites quickly formed a new helmet, but this time, Thanos ripped off the Arc Reactor in her chest, and crushed it in his palm.

"Ana Stark," he said. "The Terran who has been conspiring against me…"

"So, you know who I am… Good. What are you waiting for? Get on with it!"

He ignored her, and looked at everyone else around him. "Bring me the stones, or I'll rip her in half."

Yes, the demand was simple. And expected. They couldn't give him the stones. But they couldn't let Thanos kill Ana either. Shuri looked at her brother. He would know what to do, right? T'Challa would always know what to do.

"Where's Mr. Stark?" Peter Parker whispered to Colonel Rhodes, who had landed next to Shuri the moment Ana had been captured.

"Tony," Colonel Rhodes asked through the com. "We got a situation… Damn it, Tony! Thanos has Ana! Whatever you're doing, get your ass over here, now!" When Stark didn't reply, he turned to Ana. "Sweetie, it's going to be okay. We're going to sort this out."

But the truth was, Rhodes seemed more scared than Ana. Ana just seemed like… she had accepted the defeat, and was waiting to die. Much to everyone's surprise, Doctor Strange stepped forward, opened his palm, and sent the Time Stone toward Thanos. This didn't make any sense. Ana had said Strange didn't like her, not at all, mainly because he knew what she had done in the other timeline. Why would he be so willing to trade his greatest weapon in exchange for her life?

Ana's jaw dropped open, her beaten acceptance now completely gone.

"No, you didn't," she gasped in terror. "No, you didn't, you son of a bitch…"

Thanos smirked. "Now, where is the Mind Stone?"

"Looking for this?"

Everyone turned to Tony Stark, who had appeared out of nowhere and was holding the small vibranium case that contained the Mind Stone. And then, Shuri put two and two together. Someone had stolen the Godkiller armor. Tony Stark had been missing this whole time, and but come back with the Mind Stone. Strange had given up his stone as well. Ana wasn't angry with Strange because he had given the Time Stone to Thanos. She was angry because Strange and Stark had made another plan… To destroy all the six stones.

This wasn't going to end well. The realization sent a chill down Shuri's spine.

"Give me my kid back, and the stone is yours. Then be on your way. No one's going to come after you."

Thanos sighed, almost mournfully. "I understand your fear, Stark. Believe me, I do. I lost a daughter today."

"My condolences. What happened?"

"I had to make a sacrifice for the Soul Stone."

So, after all, even Thanos had someone he loved… Otherwise, the glowing orange rock wouldn't be there, in the damnable, partially melted gauntlet.

"Yeah, hate to break it to you, but you don't sound like parent material…"

"I don't expect you to understand. The hardest decisions require the strongest wills. Still, I envy you. I adopted children from all across the universe. The most brilliant and promising children. They did everything I asked of them. They fought, they killed, they tortured. They terrorized galaxies, brought down empires… Yet none of them did for me anything like what your daughter did for you. Not even my Gamora. Finding a way to obstruct the Infinity Stones…"

"The Nexus, you mean? Look, she's awesome, I know, but that was me. Not her."

"No! Dad, no! He's lying! You're right, it was me, not him! He's lying to save me!" Ana screamed.

But Thanos just kept ignoring her. "How?" he demanded.

"The Darkhold. I read the Darkhold. It showed me how to make sure the stones can't be used in the Nine Realms."

"No! _I_ read the Darkhold, he's lying!"

Thanos' eye narrowed in suspicion. "One of you certainly is. Alright, Stark. I'll take the stone, and I'll take both you and your daughter. Once we get out of here, I'll be able to see who is telling the truth."

"Dad…" Ana whimpered. She looked so broken that Shuri thought it would have been much more merciful if Thanos had just ripped her in half.

Shuri only realized how badly she herself had been shaking when Nakia came to hug her. "Hush," she whispered. "They made their choice. There is nothing we can do."

Despite his daughter's condition, Stark actually smiled. "It's alright, baby girl. Everything's going to be alright. I made you a promise, remember?"

"This is your last chance to tell me the truth," Thanos warned them. "The liar is going to die a slow and painful death."

"As you said, the hardest decisions require the strongest wills." Without hesitation, Stark tapped on his Arc Reactor to deactivate his own armor, then tossed it aside before approaching Thanos. He gave him the Mind Stone, and Thanos let him take Ana. He pulled out her com and tossed it aside, probably trying to keep their final moments as private as possible. Thanos told them to start walking, and they did. Or, at least Mr. Stark did. Ana was just clinging to him and dragging her feet. What had remained of Thanos' army was withdrawing, but at the same time, they were keeping an eye on humans to make sure no one would come after them. Carol had taken care of most of them, indeed, though Shuri wasn't sure where she was now.

"What are we waiting for?" Thor asked after they disappeared behind the treeline. "Let's go save them!"

"No," Strange simply said.

Loki crossed his arms. He actually seemed impressed. " _This_ was the wizard's plan…"

"It was the safest way," Strange admitted. "The stones had to be destroyed."

"What did you do?" Peter cried. "What's going to happen to Mr. Stark?"

"You're unbelievable," Shuri spat. "And selfish! We deserved to know!"

"It's not about me."

"What?"

"I gave up on my greatest weapon for the greater good."

"At what cost, though?"

"Stark came to me. He wanted to know if his daughter would survive the war."

"What did you tell him?"

"The truth. That there was only one way to keep her alive. He didn't even hesitate."

"Only one way? We could've destroyed the stones once Thanos was dealt with!"

"And how many of us would be able to resist the temptation of such a power? I told you, it was the safest way."

"I hate you!" Peter yelled. "You're the worst! Princess Shuri is right, we would've figured something out!"

"Alright, I'm done here," he said, opened a portal, and left Wakanda.

"Did he just leave like that?" Shuri cried in disbelief.

Then, they all saw a blinding lightning bolt in the distance, just above Thanos' ship, and followed by a terrible explosion that left a mushroom cloud and a darkened sky behind. Strange had implied that Ana would live, but Shuri didn't think anyone could survive something like _that_.

"What was that?" someone asked.

"The Godkiller," she replied, though she wasn't sure how she was still able to speak. "A suit that was powered by the Nexus. That was Ana's back up plan. And I… I helped her create it."Her brother came, and took her from Nakia's arms into his own.

"I am sorry, little sister. I'm sorry, but at least it is over. It _is_ over, Shuri."

Shuri buried her head in the crook of his neck, and started crying. _Not like this_ , she thought. _It shouldn't have been over like this._ Ana might be a pathological liar, but she had done more than any of them, sacrificed more than any of them, to prepare the world for Thanos. If anyone deserved to get a happy ending, it was her.

And deep down, Shuri knew T'Challa wouldn't have hesitated to do the same for his little sister. The Starks had made this sacrifice so that no one else would have to. The relief she was trying so hard not to feel added more to her guilt.

"She was my friend…"

"I know. I'm sure she loved you, too. After everything you two—Shuri, look!"

She lifted her head. "What?"

"Look!" he repeated, pointing at something—no, someone—in the distance. She hadn't thought anyone could survive that explosion, but someone had.

But it didn't look like Ana. When the slender silhouette came into their view, they saw that it was a green-skinned woman with long, dark red hair.

"I am Groot!" the tree Thor had brought said.

"Gamora?" the raccoon asked.

The woman seemed unhurt, but quite disoriented. Nevertheless, she must have recognized those two. "Hey, guys."

…

After the battle, There was almost no one who didn't need medical attention. Carol had been found in the forest, unharmed, but going binary had left her so exhausted that she was going to need plenty of rest. Shuri was desperate to keep herself occupied with something, anything. She just didn't want to think about what had been lost. Or the role she had played in that loss. And certainly not about Ana's final moments. So, she decided to tend the wounded, but Gamora, Groot, and Rocket came up with a more challenging job for her. They wanted to contact the rest of their friends. The Guardians of the Galaxy, they called themselves. Under different circumstances, Shuri would find their company quite entertaining, but for now, they were just a welcome distraction that kept her from crying her eyes out.

With Rocket's help, they had been able to reach Peter Quill. He said they had been waiting for Thanos in Titan, but he had never shown up. Gamora told them what had happened. They all seemed quite surprised, but also equally relieved that Thanos was dead and the Infinity Stones were gone. Quill promised that they would be there soon.

Rocket seemed to be fascinated by the Wakandan tech. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have the habit of paying for the things he wanted to own, so Shuri decided to explain to him what they did to thieves in Wakanda. The idea of getting branded changed his mind about stealing any vibranium. At least for the time being.

That was when Okoye came to her, and told her that they had found Ana and Tony Stark. Ana was still alive, although she was in a coma. They had found her in some kind of vibranium shell. When Shuri examined it, she realized Mr. Stark had used all the vibranium nanites in the Godkiller to form a protective cocoon around her, leaving himself completely vulnerable. Shuri also found out that during the battle, Mr. Stark had hacked into the Wakandan servers to lock his father in Shuri's lab, so that he couldn't interfere with the plan. His sacrifice wasn't a surprise to anyone. Howard Stark had quickly arranged a coffin and sealed it before Shuri could even see what the blast had done to him, saying he didn't want anyone to remember his son like that.


	14. Chapter 14

Shuri and Dr. Jemma Simmons were discussing how to wake up Ana when Gamora told them that her friend Mantis could help. Daisy had been right about Simmons. Shuri liked her already.

"How do her powers work?" Simmons asked Gamora curiously.

"And more importantly, is it safe?" Shuri added.

"Mantis is an empath. She can feel people's emotions, and even control them to some degree. She can put them into sleep, or wake them up. And yes, it is safe."

"And she's the last of her kind! That's fascinating. I mean, sad, but fascinating. We're all lucky to have met her."

Shuri looked at Colonel Rhodes and Howard Stark. After all, the ultimate decision was theirs to make. After a brief discussion, they agreed to give it a try, and Gamora went to fetch Mantis.

Mantis was an insectoid. It didn't feel weird to have her around after getting used to the presence of Groot and Rocket. She was actually cute, cheerful and quite friendly. But when she touched Ana, her mood suddenly changed and she started sobbing.

"What's wrong?" Rhodes asked.

"She is in too much pain… She doesn't want to wake up."

Rhodes sighed thoughtfully, then turned to Mr. Stark. "Sir, maybe we should wait…"

"Waiting won't bring Tony back. Wake her up."

Alright, Shuri had heard what a cold and stoic man Howard Stark was, and two decades in Hell must have made him even worse, but how could he be so… emotionless? Something was wrong with him. Shuri couldn't quite put her finger on it. All she knew that he didn't look like a man who had just lost a son and a dear friend.

Mantis obeyed. Ana gasped for air, and then shot up in the bed. Mantis had said she was in pain, but Ana's face was devoid of any feeling as she looked around.

"Why did you wake me up?" Her voice was as dead as her eyes.

"Sweetie…" Rhodes tried to hold her hand, but she didn't let him.

"Leave me alone."

"No," Howard Stark said, and Rhodes nodded in agreement. They weren't leaving her. Probably because what she was planning to do once she was alone was pretty obvious. To give them some privacy, Shuri gestured Simmons, Gamora and Mantis to follow her and went out to the hallway. Simmons had already started asking Mantis questions about her species. Mantis looked puzzled, but also eager to tell her more about her kind. Gamora leaned against a wall, crossed her arms, and sighed. Shuri had seen the way she looked at Ana. She looked at her like she was someone who murdered her father.

"When Thanos said there was a Terran conspiring against him, I didn't give it much thought. No one did. And now, here we are."

 _Indeed_ , Shuri thought. It was a strange feeling, to meet someone who had been adopted by Thanos, and survived the experience, after dreading the same fate for so long. "She wasn't the only 'Terran' who has been conspiring against him."

"I noticed."

"How much do you know about our planet, Gamora?"

"Quill tells me about it sometimes."

"I bet he didn't tell you much about this part of Earth, though. Africa."

"I can't say he did."

"Well, let _me_ tell you something about it, then. Slavery was the greatest enemy around here once. Our brothers and sisters jumped from the ships that would take them to the masters in other continents, because they knew death was better than bondage. We Wakandans were lucky. We never had to fear it. At least we _thought_ we never had to fear it, until I saw a future where Thanos had won this war. And when I found out I would be _adopted_ by him, I knew adoption was just a kinder word for slavery."

"I'm not stupid. I knew I was his slave. He made me things I never wanted to do. Everything I hate about myself, he taught me. But he loved me. In his own twisted way, he loved me."

"And did you love him back?"

"I saw his soul while I was trapped inside the stone. Saw how much I was loved. It's hard to remain indifferent to such a thing. Even if it's from a monster."

This angered Shuri. This woman had been enslaved, tortured, turned into a weapon, and then even killed by Thanos, yet she still loved him. "Or maybe it's just some kind of post-Soul Stone Stockholm Syndrome."

She shot her a questioning look, but didn't ask what Stockholm Syndrome was. "I have no quarrel with anyone here. Thanos had to die," she said coldly, and stormed off.

After that, Shuri decided to see how Bucky was doing. He had already returned to his farm at the Border Tribe region. But he wasn't tending his crops, or feeding the animals when she got there. She found him inside the hut, sitting on his bed, with the Captain America shield in his hands. There was also a small suitcase in a corner.

"Howard wanted me to have this," he explained when he saw her.

"And?"

"I think I always knew Steve would go down like this. Like the soldier he was. I just thought I'd go down with him. But he's gone, and I'm still here. So yeah, I guess I'll keep the shield. Steve would want me to."

"Probably. So, you're leaving, then?"

"It's not going to be easy, of course. There will be medical tests, psychic evaluations, government hearings… But once it's sorted out, I'll no longer have to hide from the world. Besides, if I stay here, I'm afraid Rocket is going to steal my arm."

She laughed. "Just tell him that it's technically Wakandan property. He'll know what that means."

"You know, there's going to be a funeral in New York. For Steve and Stark. Will you be there?"

"That depends."

"On what?"

"On how much of a pain in the ass Ana is going to be from now on."

"Yeah, good luck with that one…"

Growing up, Shuri had been taught not to fear death, like all Wakandans. That it was a stepping off point, not an end. Perhaps that was why it had been easy for her to accept her father's death and move on. Outsiders were different, though. Each of them had their own way of dealing with grief. Apparently, embracing the Captain America mantle was Bucky's. Shuri excused herself, and returned to _Birnin Zana_.

…

Shuri decided to see Ana again that evening. She found her in the bed, her eyes fixated on a spot on the ceiling. Ana seemed completely oblivious to her presence, so Shuri wasn't expecting her to speak, but suddenly, she said, "You warned me. You told me something terrible was going to happen if I built that suit. And something terrible happened."

"Don't do this to yourself. Not right now."

She sat up in the bed. "And what else exactly am I supposed to do?"

"Give yourself time. It is going to get easier, I promise."

" _Get easier_? You know, at some point, I'm going to have to tell Morgan what happened here. Why he has to grow up without a father."

"He won't blame you."

"Maybe he will. Maybe not. I just have to wait for a decade or so to find out."

Shuri tried to put herself in Morgan Stark's shoes, but she couldn't. Then she tried to put herself in Ana's shoes, but… She couldn't do that either. What Ana said was true. Brutal honesty, she would call it. But Mr. Stark must have known this as well. Poor man. He had died, knowing the relationship between his children would be awfully complicated because of his sacrifice. But then, he had said something, before Thanos had taken them to his ship.

"Ana, your father told you he had made you a promise. What was that about?"

"It was bullshit."

"Just tell me."

"When we were in Hell, he said he'd never leave me. Ten minutes later, he was begging Whitney Frost to let me go and take him instead… See? Bullshit from the start."

"He just wanted you to live a good life."

"A good life? Thanos was right about one thing, you know. Everything I did, I did it for him! I witnessed my future self getting murdered. I lied, I manipulated, I schemed… I let an alien stir my brain around. I took DNA samples from my own corpse just to make sure we weren't in a time loop! I figured out what the Nexus is, and how to build it. I opened a portal to Hell and brought my grandfather back from the dead! When I learned I was responsible for the destruction of Earth in another timeline, I found a way to live with even that! All this madness, just so my father could live. And now he's dead anyway. What exactly am I supposed to do with my life?"

"At least we saved the world."

"Not my world. Not anymore." She crossed to the closet and took out a pile of clothes.

"Where are you going?"

"To find Brunnhilde. She's a much better drinking buddy than you are."

She watched her in silence as she put on a shirt, pair of jeans and leather boots.

"Ana—"

"After we returned from Hell, do you have any idea how much I needed you, Shuri? How much bullshit I had to put up with because I saved my grandfather from that dreadful place, became the CEO so that Pepper wouldn't have to be an absent mother to Morgan, or just because I'm a Stark? That was when I needed you the most, but you weren't there then, so, I don't need your pity now."

 _I needed you, too_ , she thought. _I needed you to trust me, but you didn't._

"Wait," she said when Ana opened the door to leave. "I will give every member of the A-Force one of these, in case we need to come together again. I can't count on you to be a good friend anymore, but I know I can always count on you to protect this world."

She put a set of Kimoyo beads around Ana's wrist and held her breath. She could be so stubborn sometimes…

But she accepted the gift with a curt nod. "Yeah. _Let's push around the black sheep of the team, but not too much, of course, in case we need her help to save the world again_ ," she sneered bitterly.

"Please don't twist my words."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging you. It's good investment. Now that Wakanda is open to the rest of the world, you're going to need this kind of skill set. You learn fast."

"Ana, this is not what I—"

"I hope you all enjoy your happy ending, I really do. Because you got it with the price _I_ paid. And I, too, hate a bad investment."

Shuri didn't know if Ana was just being a bitch, or this was some kind of subtle threat. But she stormed off before Shuri could ask her anything.

…

The next morning, Shuri got up earlier than usual, and decided to watch the sunrise in her room. The Citadel was quiet; the wounded were still being treated at the hospital, the Guardians had taken the SHIELD team to Jupiter to save Simmons' future husband, who was orbiting the planet in a cryo chamber. He had taken the long way to be able to join them on their time-traveling adventure, but now that the team was back in the present, they were going to have to find him. That was one hell of a story. Everyone else had left on the helicarrier.

 _It is going to be a beautiful day_ , she thought as the sun rose over the Jabari Mountains in the distance. After all, it was the first day of her new life. A life that would be lived in a universe without Thanos.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, this is the end of Part 2. The last chapter was relatively short, so I thought I could post it early and focus on the other stories. Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited. It means a lot to me, because this one has especially been a lonely ride. I've been working on Part 3 while posting the chapters of this fic weekly, and to be honest, I was discouraged by the lack of interest and it made the writing process a bit struggling for me. I'm not even sure people are interested in this series. But Part 3 is almost done and I'll probably start posting it next week. I won't post an announcement chapter on this fic, though, so please keep that in mind if you're interested in the sequel. I've also added a "Reading Guideline" for the trilogy on my profile, so that you won't have to read the whole series if you're invested in only one main character.**


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